A Friend Indeed
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Set after episode 3.10. Maura is trying to get back to normal. She meets a man that she seems to connect while Jane makes a new friend that she has a lot in common with. Jane and Maura seem to drift apart, but this might be just what they need to bring them together.
1. Pick up

I don't own these characters. TNT … or somebody like that does. Oh, but I do own Ariela and Alistair.

This story takes place after episode 3.10 with Dennis, but doesn't really follow any episodes after that.

A Friend Indeed

1: Pick up

Doctor Maura Isles found herself with nothing to do on her lunch hour. Yes, she could eat lunch, but she preferred doing that with Detective Jane Rizzoli and her best friend was not available at the moment. So, Maura was left to her own devices and she had no desire to eat anything for some reason. She was rather bored since she was done with her work, including mountains of paperwork that she had put off. There were no bodies on her table, so anything hands-on was out. She tried some online shoe shopping, but the ennui remained.

She did not want her mind to be idle because that led to dark places. She had been trying to forget her most recent brush with death and heartache by a psychopath that she refused to name, even in her mind, but the memories would sneak up on her when all was still and quiet. A tremble in her stomach told her that the emotions were already trying to ambush her. Taking a deep breath, she was able to push the quiver down briefly.

"This might require hands on experience." The good doctor pulled away from her desk. She grabbed her purse while checking the time. She still had forty minutes for lunch, so she should be able to do some kind of shopping in that time, especially since there was a shopping center close by. "I can go buy that book my father recommended."

Book shopping did not compare to the thrill of shoe shopping, but Doctor Isles would never say that aloud because she knew that Jane endlessly her about it. Book shopping was still an adventure in its own right and it would definitely keep her occupied. She just had to steer clear of a certain bookstore because _he_ had been in it once. She might find some real treasures and be able to share a gem or two with Jane. Of course, Jane would be gruff, pretending not to care, but Maura knew it was an act. She had purchased books for Jane in the past and discovered them under the detective's bed, worn, dog-eared, and clearly loved as far as books went, even though Jane acted as if she never read them.

The bookstore was hardly a bustling hive of activity, which saddened Maura. _What's to become of the world when books are obsolete?_ While she was aware that people continued to read, she still felt like the paper-printed word empowered the masses because not everyone could afford an e-reader or tablet. _But, it does give the people that own those things access to more information than ever before. Does it somehow balance out?_

Shaking away her musings, the doctor scanned the shelves for the book she wanted. She found a few nuggets of knowledge before she made it to the appropriate section. She spotted the piece while she was several feet away and noticed that the one she saw was the last of it's kind. She grabbed for it as soon as it was within arm's reach. Only, she was not the only one that reached for it.

Another hand landed right on top of her own – a notably masculine hand. It was surprisingly soft and well-groomed with clean, buffed nails. Her eyes wandered up the arm to see who the hand belonged to. Wide, surprised cerulean eyes greeted her, along with an angular, smiling face. She would not be surprised if her hazel eyes were just as wide.

"Oh," Maura said, not sure why the noise escaped her, though. _Not the most elegant thing I've ever uttered_.

"Hello," he said, his voice was smooth as the silk his well-cut, navy blue suit was made of.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither letting go of the book. Maura laughed at a bit, hoping it was not as awkward as it sounded to her. He smiled more at her, so she assumed things were fine.

"Interested in the culture of the ancient Aztec, I see," he commented, slightly amused as his eyes seemed to sparkle. She knew there was a scientific explanation for her perception, but she could not for the life of her remember what it was.

"Well, yes. My father recommended this book," she explained, staring into those azure pools, but subconsciously keeping a grip on the book. She would not give it up without a fight because her father had been the one to tell her to look into it. She hoped that thought helped her keep her wits about her, too. She refused to go to pieces over a guy again, especially one she did not know anything about. "I suppose you're also interested in the ancient Aztecs."

He nodded. "My friend recommended it to me. He told me that the city planning and architecture detail would grab me. Why did your father recommend it for you?" He used his hand to brush back a rebellious sandy blond lock from his smooth face.

"Probably because of the ritualistic human sacrifices," she replied before she realized what she was saying. She laughed a little, too, and then immediately wondered if that seemed creepy. She could not tell by his slightly stunned expression, but he chuckled and saved her from being mortified at having said that aloud.

"Either you or your father is a very interesting person." He did not sound at all bothered by what she said.

"I think we both are."

He smiled. "Well, I'd never stand between a shared love of culture with a father and daughter." Her face lit up as he seemed ready to surrender the book, but he would not go gentle into that good night, much to her delight, as much as she loathed to admit that even in her own mind. "But, in exchange for the book, would you do me the honor of going to dinner with me tonight?" he requested with boyish, hopeful smile.

Maura hoped the smile on her face was not as large as it felt. She wanted to "play it cool," as Jane would say. Nothing sent the wrong message like over-enthusiasm. _But, he's so cute! _Clearly, she had forgotten that she was supposed to have her guard up, but his gentle manner put her very much at ease, which had not happened in a few months when men were involved.

"Well, since you've proven that chivalry isn't dead and you've allotted me this connection to my father, I suppose I could manage one dinner with you tonight," she teased. She did not have any plans with Jane and figured that she would have just stayed in anyway. She figured it would be good to do something normal, too. It should help her.

She could have sworn that he jumped a little at her response, which made her smile. Again, his cerulean eyes seemed to twinkle. He practically preened in front of her, which was adorable, but it only lasted a second. Almost instantly, he was totally serious again, and quite dapper.

"I've been quite rude to you. I haven't introduced myself to you yet while already inviting you out. How awful of me. I'm Alistair Burns. You are?" he asked with a charming smile.

Her eyes lit up. "I'm Doctor Maura Isles."

He drew his mouth down and nodded, showing that he was impressed. "A doctor? I get the feeling I shouldn't make a joke about you making my heart race or having you check my pulse. You've probably heard them all."

Maura felt her face go hot as she thought about the last pulse that she checked. Her heart raced for a moment and her chest hurt briefly. Shaking that dreadful memory away, she refocused on Alistair and laughed, again hoping that it did not sound awkward. He smiled again, so she guessed that everything was all right. Her body settled down and she took a low, calming breath.

"Let me give you my card and you can call me to finalize the details for dinner," Alistair proposed.

"Oh, yes, and let me give my number in case something comes up," Maura replied. As they exchanged information, she thought about how she could not wait to tell Jane how productive her trip to the bookstore had proven to be. _I'm sure she'll be happy to see that I'm getting back on the proverbial horse_.

-8-8-8-8-

Detective Jane Rizzoli stomped up the stairs of the busy building. She sighed as she dodged several people while moving down the hall like a shark on a mission. She just wanted to get this meeting out of the way. She came to the office of the new assistant district attorney that would be working with the homicide division. She was not looking forward to it considering what they had gone through with their last ADA.

She found the office that she was looking for after going through a sea of people and a row of doors that all looked the same. It did not have a nameplate on it yet, unlike the other offices in the building. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer, which caused a frown to settle on her face.

"This is bullshit. Who the hell arranges a meeting and doesn't show up in their own fucking office?" Jane grumbled and then she heard a mumbled voice inside. She leaned in closer to the door to see if she was going crazy. Thankfully, her insanity had not stepped up a notch and she was not having auditory hallucinations.

Knocking louder, Jane waited for permission to enter that did not come. A growl escaped her as what little patience that she possessed abandoned her. At least she did not kick the door in when she opened it. She smiled to herself. _Maura would be proud_. She stepped into the small office to see a woman sitting at the desk with her head down and a hand on her forehead. It looked like she was speaking on a cell phone.

"Madre dios!" she groaned and ran her hand through straight ebony hair that was cascading down her back. Glancing up, her dark brown eyes went wide when she noticed Jane. She grimaced, which made Jane feel a little better.

"Should I come back after you're done with your little phone call?" Jane huffed, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the rather unprofessional attorney.

"If you could just kill me right now, it'd be a huge favor," she replied as she ended her phone call without even bidding the person on the other end any sort of a farewell. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair again.

"I don't think killing a government employee this close to the courthouse is a good idea, though I am tempted," Jane remarked.

She frowned. "Just when I thought the person with the gun would be the solution to all my problems. Just as well I suppose, since I'd hate to ruin this suit."

The odd sense of humor earned an unexpected chuckle from Jane. "Good because I don't think anybody would buy it if I said I shot the newest ADA by request."

"Well, you could always plant drugs on me to make it seem like a good kill," she quipped, drawing another laugh from the detective. "Please, Detective Rizzoli, have a seat." She motioned to the chair in front of her.

Jane eased down. "So, Assistant District Attorney Ariela Ortiz, what do you go by?"

"Ariela is fine." The new ADA waved the question off. "I like to think we can be professional on a first name basis. It worked in California, anyway."

"A world away from Boston," Jane said.

"So I'm learning. Now, let's talk about this case, so I don't come across as an asshole my first case in and I don't blow all of your hard work to pieces."

"I'm on board with that."

Ariela laughed and nodded. They got down to business, covering everything that Jane felt Ariela needed to know about the case. It would Ariela's first case as Jane knew. Ariela did not look so young that she should be trying her first case, but the way her phone kept going off, Jane would not be surprised if the ADA was a teenager. She was professional enough to not answer at least.

"I hope you put your phone on vibrate in court. I don't know how they do it in California, but judges get annoyed here if a lawyer's phone keeps going off," Jane commented.

"Don't worry. I won't be this popular by this time tomorrow," Ariela remarked with a light laugh. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Oh, no? Then why so popular today?" Jane could not help the question. Being a detective made her naturally nosy. The noisiness had to be genetics considering who her mother was.

"I have tickets to the game tonight and everybody and their mother wants to go with me. I don't even know half of these people or how they got my number. The other half are people who I wouldn't take to the center of the fucking Earth if I had tickets."

"The game?" Jane echoed and then she glanced around the room. She noticed a Kobe Bryant bobble-head doll on the bookshelf. "You're a Lakers' fan?" she asked incredulously.

Ariela laughed. "Yeah, I know, I'm a horrible monster."

"Yeah, you are! How dare you be a Lakers fan in Celtics territory!" the detective joked with mock outrage.

Ariela hung her head in shame. "I know. I'm just a poor surfer girl who doesn't know any better. I'm also from LA. I'm a Lakers and Clippers fan."

"Both?" With the expression on Jane's face, she might as well have said that she sold drugs to children and then ate them.

The lawyer threw her hands up as if surrendering. "It was a matter of self-presentation because my mother's side of the family roots for the Clippers and _mi padre_ is a Lakers fan. All Hell would break loose if you cheered for the wrong one. Spanish curse words flying, kids hiding under table snickering or crying depending on who's winning, and tacos everywhere," Ariela joked, her eyes shining as she laughed at her description.

"Sounds like my nonna's house when the Red Sox and Pilgrims played each other. My uncles would have kill each other with meatballs over baseball if my nonna wasn't around," Jane chuckled. "They only seemed to know Italian when they were cursing each other out."

"In my house, they only knew English when cursing each other out. Well, some of them anyway. Us kids used to get a kick out of it because we'd back talk in English and wouldn't get popped for it because nobody knew what we were saying."

Jane's brow wrinkled as something hit her. "How the hell did you get tickets to that game anyway? I know guys ready to kill their own mothers and still can't get seats."

Ariela shook her head again and put her hand on her forehead. "Hence my phone being blown up and everybody giving me a headache. As for how, my bitch of an ex-girlfriend. They were supposed to be a 'welcome to Boston' gift and ended up being a 'fuck you, I'm not giving these back, you cheating bitch' gift."

"Girlfriend?" Jane echoed and very nearly uttered the stupidest thing possible, which was that Ariela did not look like a lesbian. But, of course, she had met plenty of lesbians when she was undercover, so she thankfully kept that in.

Ariela shrugged. "I think of her more along the lines of daughter of Satan right now. I probably should get a priest to bless anything she touched, now that I think about it. I moved out here to start a life with her only to find _la perra_ was banging anyone with a vagina and our so-called friends are lying to me to cover it up. So, I'm going to enjoy this game no matter how much she whines about getting the tickets back or how much our friends try to act like I have 'fucking idiot' written across my forehead. They're out of their fucking minds if they really think I'd ever take one of them to this game. Fuck her and them and the little space of Hell they call their own."

Jane almost cheered. "That's the spirit. Enjoy the game just to spite her, even though the Celtics are going to kick the Lakers asses."

"Whaaaaat?" Ariela purposely dragged the word as her eyes went wide. "Does Boston air just make you all crazy?"

Jane smiled. "Funny, I was gonna say the same thing about all of that smog in LA. The Celtics have seventeen championships under their belts."

Ariela snorted. "Only one more than the Lakers and what have the Celtics won recently beyond headaches?" She seemed finished, but the way her forehead scrunched up and her eyes squinted, it was almost like she got an idea. "You seem like you like basketball. You want to come with me?"

The detective blinked. "To the game?"

"Yeah, to the game. You're clearly a basketball fan and I don't have any friends in Boston yet. Plus, with any luck, we'll be working together for a while, so might as well get to know each other."

Jane tried hard not to grimace, but she failed miserably. "This is a huge game. I'm sure you know at least one person you could take."

Ariela shook her head. "I don't know anybody worth taking. She got the friends in the divorce, mostly because I didn't want those assholes." She paused for a moment. "This isn't because of the gay thing, is it?"

The fact that it was just blurted out caused Jane to balk. "No! I know gay people." She groaned and put her head in her hands as soon as that clichéd piece of crap left her mouth. "For my next stupid line, I'll tell you that some of my best friends are gay."

Thankfully, Ariela laughed. "To be honest, I've heard the rumors about you and your work-wife."

It was Jane's turn to snort. "Those rumors were going around before I had a work-wife, but are totally untrue. I'm very much hetero as much as the ass-hats at my job don't want to believe it. Oh, by the way, the work-wife is Doctor Maura Isles. You'll meet her soon enough."

"Yeah, she's on my list right after I talk to your partner. Now, back to this business of the game. Look, we both know being a lesbian while a wiser lifestyle decision, it isn't contagious and I'm friendless. You know you wanna see this game," Ariela taunted her. "Center court, one tier up from being on the floor."

Jane groaned. "You don't play fair."

The smile on her golden-brown face was downright devilish. "I don't want to go by myself and I think you'd be fun to hang out with. It's not a date or anything. You'd be doing me a favor."

The detective let loose another snort. "Oh, please."

"It's very true, but I guess you don't want to see the Celtics get their asses kicked by the Lakers." Ariela shrugged.

"Oh, c'mon!"

"You're practically making me beg and we both know you wanna go. Just give in because we both also know you'll regret this if you let this chance pass you by."

Jane groaned while throwing her head back. "This is why none of my friends are lawyers."

Ariela laughed. "Meet you outside at 7:30."

_It's a good thing I didn't have any plans with Maura. I might've resented the hell out of her for a while if I missed this chance_. Jane shrugged and laughed.

"I'm glad you're on our side, Counselor. I hope you're this much of a hound in the courtroom," Jane remarked.

The attorney scoffed. "I'm worse there. But, you'll thank me for this."

Jane chuckled because she did not doubt that. They exchanged cell phone numbers just in case and agreed on where they would meet up outside of T. D. Garden.

"Nice doing business to you, Jane," Ariela joked as the detective opened the door to leave.

"Consider this the first and last time you take advantage of me," Jane retorted.

"We're just getting started. The Celtics still play the Clippers this year In Boston. I can't go alone."

"You do remember I have a gun, right?" Jane teased with a good-natured grin. "I also know a ton of ways to get away murder."

Ariela laughed. "I'll just have to haunt you then and point out every time the Lakers kick the Celtics asses." Jane rolled her eyes and had to leave as Ariela's next appointment arrived.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, how was your meeting with the new ADA?" Maura asked as Jane paced in her office. She noted that Jane rarely sat down in her office anymore after deeming her furniture uncomfortable. For once, she considered that Jane was not complaining for the sake of complaining.

"I liked her after I got over the fact that she was on the phone when I showed up. She has a weird sense of humor, but she was on top of the case. You'd think she was the original ADA on the case and she shared a lot more of what she planned to do in court than most other prosecutors I've worked with. She invited me to the Celtics game tonight," Jane replied.

Maura kept a straight face, even though Jane's answer was all over the place. "Are you going to go?"

Jane shrugged. "Yeah, might as well get to know her since she seems petty determined to stick around with us."

The doctor smiled. "You seem confident about her."

"Maybe because she just moved to Boston, so I doubt she's in the pocket of any drug dealers and probably won't kill my witnesses. Or so I hope, anyway." Jane chuckled.

"One would think it statistically impossible that someone who has sworn to uphold the law would work with a drug dealer and murder a witness right after you had an ADA that did the same."

Jane laughed even more. "Only you would look at it that way. I wonder what the numbers are for something like that." She put her finger to her chin briefly and then she threw her hands out. "No, no, no! Don't tell me!"

Maura laughed at Jane's immature behavior. She decided to spare Jane, just this once, mostly because she wanted to tell Jane about her trip to the bookstore. She also had to show Jane the books she purchased for the detective.

"So, what have you been up to since I had to leave?" Jane asked curiously. "Didn't get bored without me, did ya?" A teasing smile settled on her face, but slightly begging expression appeared in her dark brown eyes.

Maura felt her face light up. _Just what I was waiting for!_ "I went to the bookstore and got so many books!"

Jane gave her an amused half-smirk; a look that said Maura was behaving cutely. The doctor never really knew how to react to that look, especially since she was certain that Jane did not know she was doing it. So, Maura did what she always did when this happened – continued on with what she was saying with only a slight pause.

"So, I bought you some books," Maura said, which caused Jane to whine as expected. She liked to pretend that she did not read, but Maura knew better. Jane enjoyed curling up with a book and Jo Friday on a rainy day. "I also met a man." That earned her an even bigger groan.

"Who's this clown?"

"Jane!" Maura scolded her. _I know she's acting this way just because of _him_, but I hope she doesn't really feel that way about every man I meet. I just want everything to go back to normal. I want her to see that I'm all right_.

The brunette sucked her teeth. "Sorry." She forced a clearly fake smile onto her face. "Who is he?"

Maura smiled despite Jane's attitude. "Alistair Burns."

"Oh, god! He's Mr. Burns!" Jane groaned more.

Maura was certain that she was missing something, but pressed on. "Yes, he is Mr. Burns. He was very sweet and charming. We reached for and grabbed the same book. He released it and proposed dinner. I'm going out with him tonight." She gave an impish smile.

The detective sighed and the sound cut into Maura. She knew the sound was because Jane was actually afraid for her. Maura was trying to put the bad times behind her, but Jane remembered and held on. It made Jane wary and suspicions of any man that came around Maura now.

"Tonight? You know I could come with you. Double date," Jane offered.

Maura's face scrunched up. "You don't have a date and you agreed to go to that game with the new ADA. Go enjoy your game. I'll be fine. Alistair is all right. Look …" She googled him for Jane, even though she had done that when she got back from the bookstore.

Jane moved to look at the computer monitor. Maura brought up a page that showed Alistair's charitable works with a non-profit organization. Jane read silently, nodding to herself.

"Make sure you go somewhere crowded and don't be alone with him," Jane ordered.

Maura frowned. "I'll be fine. You just enjoy your game."

Jane frowned, too. "I will, but you call me if you need help."

"You don't need to constantly watch me. I'll be fine."

"Humor me, Maura. Call me if anything happens or if you need me, okay? I don't care what it might be, but if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable or anything, I want you to call me. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Jane's words and the fact that she put her strong hand on Maura's shoulder, touched the doctor enough for her to nod. Jane breathed a sigh of relief and Maura smiled up at her while patting the loving hand on her shoulder. Something seemed to roll around insider of her. She had felt it before, but was never able to identify it. It continued to elude her.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Maura's date and Jane's game.

Keep up with this and other stories I'm working on by checking out my FB page: (w w w). facebook. (com/) pages/ SL-Kassidy/ 482097488469386. There's also a link on my profile.


	2. Playing it cool

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

2: Playing it cool

Despite being annoyed with Jane's overprotective nature, Maura made sure that Alistair was taking her to the largest restaurant that she could think of and that she knew would have plenty of people in it despite it being a weeknight. She did not want to be put in the position like before with he-who-shall-not-be-named and need Jane to save her. That would be emotionally taxing on both of them and Maura really just wanted things to go back to normal.

_I need things to go back to normal, if not for me then for Jane. She'll worry herself sick over me. She's got enough going on in her life and doesn't need my mistakes and misjudgments affecting her_.

Maura prepared for her date as she always did without thinking about what she mentally dubbed "the bad times." Just thinking about, she could feel the press of the knife against her flesh and feel Dennis breathing on her, his heart pounding against her back. Her body began trembling and she was panting before she realized it. Once her heart started racing, she shook herself out of that thought and back to the real world.

"I have to put him out of my head. I can go back to being normal," she promised herself, as she had many times since he-who-shall-not-be-named threatened her life.

She had dated some since then, but it was very casual and nothing went beyond the second date. Also, she had not slept with any of them. Sometimes, she felt like she _could_ not sleep with anyone ever again, even though she had not slept with _him_. The thought that she had almost slept with him made her skin crawl and she could not get physically close enough to any member of the male species now to have sexual intercourse. She was sure that it would pass as she was able to let go of the trauma.

She was not sure if things would go that way with Alistair, but she had hope. She liked him so far and he seemed rather nice, like someone she could trust. She hoped that things would be different with him. She hoped that she could finally move on. She wanted to go back to being normal.

"Well, normal for me, as Jane would say," Maura muttered with a small smile.

Jane was constantly her rock, so she wanted to get back to "Maura-normal" for Jane, too. Jane made sure to treat her the same as before, so she wanted to go back to being the same as before. She needed to be able to go out on a date, have a decent conversation, eventually take things beyond that, and have something positive to chat with Jane in the morning.

Taking a deep breath, Maura steeled her nerves and left for dinner. She met Alistair at the restaurant. He was sitting at the bar, nursing a drink and undoubtedly waiting for her. He smiled brightly from his perch as soon as he noticed her. She smiled back as he approached.

"You look absolutely breath taking, Maura," he complimented her while offering her his hand.

She smiled and noted that his hand was trembling a bit. She took a bit of solace in knowing that he was nervous. "You look wonderful, too." He was dressed impeccably in a cobalt blue silk suit with a grey, checkered tie and teal shirt underneath. His slightly curly blond hair was combed back, but some strands were defiant and fell out of place. His face was as smooth as earlier, which she liked.

"Well, I figured since I was seeing a gorgeous doctor that I should dress my best. Come, our table's ready," he said while motioning to the host's podium. The host wasted no time showing them to their table.

Alistair pulled her chair out and eased it back once she was properly situated. She quietly thanked him as he sat down opposite of her. He smiled that dazzling expression of his that she was certain enchanted everyone that he had ever met. Maura allowed him to order a bottle of wine after Alistair offered. She wanted to see where his tastes laid. If he could not pick wine, they might not be very compatible, after all. But, he impressed her with his selection.

"So, Doctor Isles, we now have much more time to talk and get to know each other and we don't have to squabble over a book while doing it. Tell me, what are you a doctor of?" he entreated with that sparkling smile.

Maura had to take a deep breath before she broached that subject. She had learned that a good way to ruin a first date was to jump into her career too soon. But, she wanted to see if Alistair was serious about getting to know her.

"I'm a pathologist," she simply answered. As Jane would say, the ball was now in his court … whatever that meant. Her basic understanding of it, though, was that it was his opportunity to do something with the new information. One day she was determined to discover what that had to do with balls and courts because the explanation that Jane had given her several times had not clarified anything.

Alistair's brow wrinkled a bit and his eyes searched nothing for a brief moment. "I never would've guessed that about you. I'd have gone with surgeon or pediatrics."

She smiled a bit, even though she was sure that he was sweet talking her. "My bedside manner would not be appreciated in either of those fields," she said honestly and he chuckled. "What about you? You told me you sometimes do charity work, but you didn't tell me what you actually do for a living."

A bright smile lit up his face. "I'm an architect by trade. The main reason I wanted that book earlier was a look at the ancient buildings. I was told the descriptions through out the text are to die for."

"I could loan it to you sometime," she offered politely. She tried not to think about the optimism behind those words.

"How very generous of you. Thank you for that. Have you begun reading it yet?"

"Only a few passing glances. I've already discovered why my father recommended it to me."

He arched a curious eyebrow. "Why did he recommend it?" his voice sounded slightly concerned, which let her know that for once it was her face telegraphing her emotions to for all to decipher.

Shaking her head, caramel locks swayed. "The descriptions on human sacrifice go into great detail."

His eyes softened with sympathy. "He thinks that just because you're a pathologist that you like the blood and gore? Or you're at least fascinated by it?" he guessed.

Maura nodded as that was as close to the truth as a stranger needed to know. It was true once upon a time. Actually, for all she knew it could be the truth still with other factors added on considering she had not spoken with her father beyond the short email for almost a year. More often than not, even now, she imagined that her father did not care much for her. She knew it was his way, getting wrapped up in his work and his travels, but every now and then she would like a proud nod at the least for her accomplishments.

"Why did you become a pathologist?" he asked quietly.

"I wanted to speak for the dead. They need a voice, especially when they've been murdered. Families need answers when they lose loved ones and they don't know why. I want to be able to help the dead find peace and justice as well as help their families do the same," she explained.

He smiled softly. "That's really noble. You're an amazing woman, Doctor Isles."

A light blush invaded her cheeks. "Thank you. So, why did you become an architect?"

"The reasons are nowhere near as grand or as noble as yours. I've always been an artist, but I focus usually on surroundings rather than characters. I used to draw fantasy buildings and things like that. But, it's something I've been interested in all my life."

She nodded. "Do you freelance?"

"Somewhat, but I also work with a lot of contractors. I enter plenty of contests to win the chance to design new buildings. I recently began working with a firm, which I prefer. While I can get my own work, it's just easier me if someone else did the leg work."

"Have you designed anything that I might know?" she inquired and he chuckled.

"I mostly do office buildings. I did design a little museum, but I doubt you've heard of it. I don't do this to be well known," he replied with a cool shrug. "I'd rather be remembered for my charitable works."

Maura smiled and nodded in agreement. "Now, that is noble."

The conversation was interrupted as their waiter returned with the wine that Alistair ordered. Maura watched Alistair sample it before she did, noting his technique. He was clearly a man that did not take his wine lightly as he closed his eyes, breathed in the wine, and savored the first sip. If Jane were there, she would undoubtedly label it "wine porn" and ask Alistair if he needed her to leave him alone with the bottle. But, Maura was not Jane and joined him in enjoying a wonderful wine.

"This is marvelous," Maura commented with an impressed smile.

"That was exactly what I said when I had it during a trip to Paris," he replied with a smile of his own.

Her hazel eyes lit up at the mention of one of her favorite cites. "You've been? It's so beautiful."

Alistair agreed and the two began talking about the places they delighted in when in Paris. Alistair began talking about many of the historical buildings and other manmade structures. He was not put off as Maura talked history with him, even when she went on about the Plague while they had their meals in front of them. In fact, he even laughed at some of her historical anecdotes. Before they knew it, the restaurant was closing.

"Oh, my goodness, it doesn't seem so late," Maura said, glancing at her watch.

He smiled. "I hope that's a compliment toward the company because you certainly were it for me."

She graced him with a smile, too. "Definitely a compliment toward the company."

He continued smiling as he paid the check. He walked Maura out, but she did not move toward her car. He stood with her and offered her an awkward smile, as if he did not know what to do. She imagined he was curious about why she was not leaving. She was internally debating if she should allow him to see what her car looked like.

_Maybe I'm being too cautious_, Maura considered. They had a great night and he did not seem diabolical, but then again the same thing could be said of he-who-shall-not-be-named. _Yes, but the same could be said of many of the men I've dated and most of them were harmless_.

"Have you forgotten where you parked?" Alistair inquired in a lighthearted tone, undoubtedly to make their standing there less strange.

She laughed a little. "I used the valet."

He gave her an amused smile. "Have you lost the ticket then?"

"I'm fairly certain it's in my purse." She wasted no time rooting around her purse for the ticket and produced it with ease. The valet was quickly off for her car. A separate valet went to retrieve Alistair's vehicle.

"I had a really good night, Maura. I hope you call me and we can do this again sometime," he told her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I would like that," she told him as her car was brought around.

"Then I look forward to seeing the lady again." He leaned down, kissing her hand. In her head, she could hear Jane gagging, but the gesture and soft feel of his lips made her feel warm inside.

Maura only smiled and nodded before getting in her car to head home. Tonight was a decidedly good night. She could not wait to tell Jane about how well it went. Of course, she would have to wait at least until the morning, but no more than that.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane spotted Ariela fairly easy because the prosecutor was a purple and gold speck in a sea of clover green and white inside the lobby of TD Garden. The detective shook her head as she headed over to Ariela wearing her own Celtics t-shirt. Ariela gave her a half-smirk, clearly knowing that she had done something wrong.

"You are just trying to get us killed, aren't you?" Jane remarked.

Ariela mischievous smile confirmed that suspicion. "While the Supreme Court has yet to have such a case, I am fairly sure that clothing counts under free speech. I mean, money does now, right?"

"I think you're stretching the Citizens United thing. It's a good thing I brought my badge and my gun."

"Aw, detective, you care!" Ariela teased.

"I care about not being killed by the mob that's going to come after you and tear you asunder," Jane retorted. _I have to remember to tell Maura to turn her vocabulary down around me, so I don't use words like "asunder" out loud_.

The ADA scoffed. "You care. We both know it. You care at least for the fact that I got you into the hottest basketball game of the season. If you treat me right, I might let you come with me when I watch the Clippers destroy the Celtics."

Jane looked at the prosecutor as if she was nuts, and as far as Jane was concerned, she was. "You live in a fantasy world, huh?"

Ariela only laughed. The ladies made their way to their seats and Jane's mouth dropped in awe. She could see the individual drops of sweat rolling off of the players.

"Goddamn! Do you think the Lakers'll be able to hear my insults?" Jane inquired with wide eyes.

Ariela grinned. "I hope so, as that means the Celtics will hear me!"

"That'll just make them want to win more. They won't put up with a damned Laker's fan in their house!"

"They'll put up with it today!"

The pair settled in as the game got underway. During the first half, they both had plenty to cheer and jeer. Jane fumed, though, because despite the excitement of the game, her team was down ten points and Kobe Bryant already had twenty-five points. It did not help matters that Ariela looked way too smug about things.

"Oh, stop looking like that. There's another half of basketball to play," Jane huffed.

"Another chance for Kobe to drop fifty, _si_?" Ariela taunted the detective, smirking like a demon.

"Shut up! Don't think I won't slug you to wipe that stupid look off of your face." The detective waved her fist at the ADA.

Ariela laughed. "You'd have to arrest yourself on assault charges then."

Jane scoffed. "If I have to arrest me, I'm getting my money's worth and taking you out. Nobody would be able to prove a case against me."

"This is like going to a game with my ex. She'd get all pissy when the Celtics started losing, too. Hmm … that was probably a sign. She was a Celtic fan, too. We both had way too much fun when our team was beating the other. She'd make some death threats that would have me scared to go to sleep!"

"That can't make for a healthy relationship," Jane joked. Well, not really.

"We thought we got our frustration with each other out that way. It was funny for a while." The ADA chuckled and shrugged. Her eyes belied the amused sound, looking off into the distance and probably seeing the past. Pain seeped through now cracked umber orbs. Clearly, the woman that she moved all the way across the country for hurt her deeply.

"She's a Boston native?" Jane guessed. She did not know the woman, but she was starting to dislike her for causing Ariela pain. While she did not know the lawyer that well, she seemed like an all right person and definitely did not deserve to have heartbroken by someone with monogamy issues.

Ariela nodded. "Yeah, she was out in LA for a job, but got a better offer from an management company in Boston about a six months ago. I told her to take the job because I knew she missed home and her family. Plus, it was a much better job. I thought we could start building for the future, take the next step and shit like that. _Muy estupido_."

Jane's brow furrowed. "Well, what about your family and home? Is this a better job for you?"

Ariela offered a sorrowful, but somehow patronizing smile. "You never had someone in your life that you'd give up everything for?"

Jane was lucky that Ariela was not looking for an answer because she almost blurted out Maura without a thought. She knew that would have led to a different conversation than the one that her new friend probably needed to have. Ariela's eyes lost the cheer that they had held only moments ago and now seemed to hold only retched agony. Jane thought Ariela's girlfriend was a bitch just from the broken look in those cocoa eyes.

"You gave up everything for her, huh?" the detective said.

"I loved her. I thought we'd eventually get married. Hell, my dumb ass even bought the ring. Stupid, huh?" Ariela sighed.

Jane put her hand on the attorney's shoulder. "No, it's not. You loved her and you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her. It's understandable that you'd do so much for her."

A sad smile settled onto Ariela's long face. "_Gracias_. _Mi familia_ …" She paused, probably realizing that she was speaking Spanish. "My family thinks I'm crazy for staying here after finding out what sort of person she is."

"Not crazy, but why are you staying? I hope you're not trying to get back with her." One of Jane's biggest pet peeve now was when women that tried to go back to bad situations. Yes, she knew that she was being hypocritical considering her actions with Casey and how he broke her heart because of his injury, but Maura going back to Dennis really changed her. Dennis had treated Maura like shit, but was able to get back into her good graces with a smile and some flowers. She knew that she would be just as pissed even if Dennis had not threatened Maura's life. She just did not like that bastard.

Ariela reeled back, looking totally aghast and scandalized. "No! _Dios_, no! I don't want that lying, cheating _perra_ back! This job is a step up from what I was doing before, which was prosecuting drug addicts. At least now I'm working with real criminals who are a danger to others. Most of the drug addicts I used to put away were only a danger to themselves and needed help, not prison."

Jane nodded. "I used to work with the drug unit and you're right about some of the addicts. Others definitely are a danger to other people."

"Yes, but they're usually a danger because they want more drugs. If they were treated for the addiction, they'd mostly be fine. They're under the influence, not a danger by nature."

"Usually, the drugs amplify what's already there."

The debate on drugs was cut short as the second half began. They argued over more important matters – the game. At points, Ariela broke into Spanish, which prompted Jane to show her hidden talent – cursing in Italian. Ariela looked impressed.

"I didn't think you were bilingual," the lawyer said.

"I'm not really. My grandparents were all Italian and they grew up speaking the language. They spoke English, but if you got them pissed off, they yelled in Italian. I picked up a few things, mostly swear words," Jane remarked with one of her impish Rizzoli smirks. She recalled the first time she cursed in front of Maura using Italian and the doctor did not know whether she should be impressed or scold Jane. Of course, the indecision only lasted a second and then the detective was verbally reprimanded for her language.

Ariela nodded. "_Mi_ _abuela_ only speaks Spanish and she used to watch us when we were kids while our parents worked. We had to learn Spanish or we'd starve to death," she joked.

Jane laughed, but then the Lakers scored again and nothing was funny. She and Ariela went back to screaming at each other, the players, and the refs. In the end, despite the fact that her throat was killing her, Jane was more than pleased with the outcome of the evening.

"Damn, I'm so fucking happy you talked me into coming with you! Can you believe KG of all people hit the three at the buzzer?" Jane shouted, beaming with joy as she swaggered out into the parking lot with a sour looking Ariela.

"Man, fuck the Celtics," the ADA proclaimed with no hint of shame and a level of expertise that showed the woman dropped f-bombs often. "I'll be the one bragging to you after the Clippers game in about a month!"

Jane was taken aback by that declaration. "You have tickets to another game and more than enough time to find a friend and you still want to take me again? You know I'm not gay, right?"

"Calm down, Detective Paranoid. I'm not trying to date you. You're not even my type. Lesbians have female friends and I now consider you a friend, especially since that _perra_ got all of our friends in the break up," Ariela growled.

Jane blinked in confusion. "Wait, I just realized that you've said that a few times. She cheated, but all of your friends sided with her? How the fuck does that work?" She was thankful to never have been in the position to know that someone was cheating on someone else, but she liked to think that she would tell or at least drop hints if she considered the other person a friend.

"All of our Boston friends were really her friends and they knew what she was doing and none of them ever said a word to me about it. They never even dropped a hint. Hell, they would smile in my face and act like we were the most perfect couple they had ever seen."

"Damn, people can be such bastards," Jane hissed.

The lawyer sighed. "Yeah, they can, but no use dwelling on it. So, for now you're my only friend and you're my basketball buddy." She smiled as she linked arms with Jane.

"I'm not going to argue because I really want to see the Celtics kick another LA team's ass," Jane joked.

"The Clippers will take care of business, Boston."

"Yeah, their business involves getting their asses handed to them by the Celtics, LA."

"Just wait and see. I'll call you with the details for the game and I'll probably see you in court in a few days."

The pair went their separate ways after shaking hands. Jane smiled all the way home. _Today was a good day_.

-8-8-8-8-

"Are you telling me you saw that game? You watched Kobe drop forty?" Barry Frost, Jane's partner, asked incredulously. His bright hazel eyes were as wide as possible. They were standing in the homicide bullpen and Jane just had to tell anybody around that she had gone to the Celtics game. She had the whole squad's attention with that.

"Watched Kobe drop forty, Rondo get a triple double, and KG win the game in OT with a crazy three-point shot!" Jane cheered with a grin, mimicking the motion of shooting a basketball. "I was close enough to scream for Kobe to miss that shot at the end of regulation."

"That's unbelievable! How the hell did you get tickets to that game? It's been sold out forever!" Frost screamed like a little girl.

Jane scoffed and swaggered to her desk. "I got it like that."

"The hell you do!" Frost laughed. "How the hell did you get tickets for that game?"

As much as Jane liked to make Frost sweat, she figured that she would throw him a bone. She had been teasing him about how she got to the game all morning. It had been tons of fun, especially since the rest of the room wanted to know, too. She would have mercy on him and finally tell him.

"You know the new ADA?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, Ariela Ortiz. I've got to meet with her in, like, an hour. What's your point?" Frost countered, folding his arms across chest.

A smug, overbearing smile appeared on her face. The expression was so overboard that it almost hurt her face. "I arrived for my appointment yesterday while she was having a friendship crisis and just happened to have an extra ticket to the best game of the season!"

"Oh, isn't that cute? Rizzoli went on a dyke date with the new ADA," Detective Crowe called from across the bullpen.

"Fuck you, Crowe!" Jane barked.

"You better hope the Queen of the Dead doesn't find out you're cheating on her or she'll be hiding you in one of her body bags," the pompous jerk laughed.

"Who'll be hiding whom in a body bag?" Maura asked innocently as she practically floated into the area. She was carrying files that Jane and Frost needed for a case that was unfortunately going cold.

Jane scoffed. "I'll be stuffing Crowe into one. He's jealous that I got to see the Celtics kick the Lakers' asses!"

Maura gave Jane a stern look, which only made Jane smile. When Maura's scolding gaze did not waver, Jane shrugged. Of course, that did not work and Jane had to go with her final plan to get out of trouble.

"So … how was the date?" the detective asked with a grin. As soon as that question left her mouth, the rest of the bullpen went about their business. The exciting news was over. Detective Crowe looked liked he was about to open his big mouth, but a glare from Jane and a tug from his partner kept from him saying anything. She would be damned if she allowed him to make fun of Maura, especially to her face.

Her date was clearly the right topic because Maura's eyes lit up and she failed to notice the short power struggle between Jane and Crowe. "It was wonderful. I'll tell you more later." She handed Jane the folders and then floated right back out the room.

"Looks like the doc is out of her slump," Frost said.

Jane put her finger to her mouth and made wild gestures with the hand that held the folders. "We're not supposed to know about that!" she reminded him.

Maura had not even told her in great detail about her love life since the incident with Dennis. She had seen Maura reacting to men that were trying to pick her up and it was … well, a monkey try to put together a motorcycle probably would be less of a mess. Jane was patient, knowing Maura would share what was going on when she was ready and when she was feeling better. Besides, Jane knew it all related back to Maura having a knife to her throat by a man that she thought liked her and that she had liked in return. The best she could do was support Maura and stay close to her to make sure the doctor was not hurt anymore. Honestly, much of the time, she just wanted to wrap Maura in her arms and shield her from all the world's evils. But, then again, she had felt like that before Dennis, too.

"Now, let me go back to telling you about the game …" she wanted to talk about her night before she faced Maura because she was not sure what the doctor might say. After all, dating for Maura had been painful to watch lately, more so than before.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, how did things go with Mr. Burns?" Jane inquired as she paced Maura's office. The pathologist was sitting at her desk, finishing up the endless supply of paperwork that accompanied deathless days.

Maura's eyes lit up, the joke going way over her head. Jane figured she would have to say it in front of Frost after Maura went public with the relationship. Until then, she had to settle for listening to how great the date was, how wonderful he was, and how she planned to see him again. Maura was gushing as she spoke, smiling so brightly the sun would have been envious of her. Jane was happy for Maura, both because the doctor was trying to get back to normal and because she seemed genuinely happy from the date.

But, underneath that, Jane felt a strange gnawing sensation in her belly that always came when Maura dated. She pushed it down, wanting Maura to be happy. If Maura was happy dating Mr. Burns, then that was excellent. Now, if only Jane's stomach would agree.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Alistair comes between Jane and Maura's time together. Ariela comes to the rescue.


	3. The theater

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

3: The theater

Jane groaned; Maura was giggling … again. The detective was supposed to be happy for her best friend, who seemed to be getting on with Mr. Burns quite well. It was hard to feel that way, though, when Maura was laughing through a Red Sox classic. Sure, Jane had seen the historic game twice before, but now was her first time watching it with Maura and on the glory that was a plasma screen.

"Maura, you're not even paying attention," Jane complained, voice just missing the mark of being a whine.

Maura glanced up from her phone after she finished answering the text message that had her giggling like a little schoolgirl with a crush. She seemed so relaxed with her legs tucked underneath her in some yoga pants and a tank top. Bet Mr. Burns wouldn't believe Maura dresses like this when she's just with me, but then again, I can't believe Maura's laughing like that and he's the cause. Guess that makes us even. She shook that thought away to chide Maura for disrespecting the holiest of holies.

"Maura, you can't laugh through a Sox world series game," Jane stated with a frown as she motioned the television with one hand, almost flinging one of her pretzels at the television. She shoved it in her mouth before she did lose it to a wild gesture as she had a feeling a few more would be coming soon.

Maura's forehead wrinkled. "Is this some baseball rule that you failed to teach me before?" she asked, mostly teasing if her smile meant anything. Once upon a time, that would have been a serious question and Jane could not help smiling at having taught Maura well in more than one way.

"No, but you're learning it now. There's no laughing in classic Red Sox games." She folded her arms across her chest to make it final.

Maura smiled more, but turned her attention to the television … for the moment. The second her phone buzzed with a new text message, her hazel eyes drifted to the device. Jane glared at her.

"Don't you dare," Jane warned, pointing a threatening finger that smaller woman.

"It'll only take a second," Maura argued, holding the phone up with an adorable hybrid expression that mixed a smile with a pout that she tended to use to get her way.

"Don't."

"But …" Her eyes ambled toward the phone's screen.

"Freeze!"

The M.E. chuckled, holding her arms up like a surrendering prep. "Am I under arrest?" The light in her eyes almost made Jane forget what they were arguing over.

"Yes, for failure to enjoy a Sox game with your best friend. You'll be fined, have to do community service, which will include watching more sporting events with the aforementioned best friend, and your cell phone will be confiscated if you continue."

"You won't let me off with a warning?" She batted her eyes at Jane in a manner made the detective's insides twist a bit. Jane was used to it, so she did not even miss a beat.

"You've already been warned."

"Would this be a bad time to point out that you used the word 'aforementioned' in a sentence?" the doctor pointed out with an impish look that earned her a tight glower that would have made grown men tremble. Of course, it did nothing to her.

"That's all your fault, messing up my perfectly horrible vocabulary," Jane huffed.

Maura gave her best friend a smile that Jane knew was supposed soothe her. It worked up until Maura checked the text and laughed. She realized it too late and her wide eyes showed that she expected what happened next, even though Jane acted almost instantly.

Jane pounced on Maura like a cat on a mouse. The mouse squealed while Jane had little trouble in wrestling the phone away from Maura. As she held the device away from the wiggling doctor, it went off again.

"Wow, you two are going back and forth like a couple of lovesick teens! What the hell? I hope you're not sexting!" Jane teased as she moved to look at the new message.

"We are not sexting!" Maura objected as she tried to get up, but Jane had her pinned. She was breathing heavy, pressing her supple body against Jane's taut form.

"I'm surprised you even know what sexting is."

"I know what it is and we are not sexting," the smaller woman huffed, moving around more, trying to free herself.

Jane scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it! You're giggling too much over texts for it to be normal!"

Maura's brow furrowed cutely as she tried to work her way through Jane's logic. Jane could see the wheels in Maura's head turning and the exact moment she gave up on trying to figure out how Jane's words made sense. Instead, she put all of her effort into attempting to get up from the couch. Jane just pushed her back, pressing her into the cushions.

"Just give already or do you want me to tickle you?" the detective threatened her.

"You wouldn't!" Maura gasped, even though they were both very aware that she would.

The smirk on Jane's face was beyond evil. "Try me."

"What do you want?"

"I just want to chill out with you on a very rare day off. Is that too much to ask?"

Maura's eyes shined and she relaxed under Jane, putting her hand on Jane's bicep. The look on her face was soft and thoughtful. Jane smiled at her.

"It's not too much to ask. I'm sorry, Jane. It's just that Alistair and I were unable to go out this week because he was also busy with work and we always have such great conversation," Maura explained.

Jane snorted and rolled her eyes. "Busy drawing a building? Oh yeah, real hard. Lemme know when the building starts shooting at him." _This guy is too prissy for his own good_.

"Jane!" Maura's tone and gaze were scolding. "It's not like you to make fun of someone else's career."

The brunette groaned and dipped her head, which fell onto Maura's shoulder. The reprimanding look in her friend's eyes let her know that Maura like Alistair and she really needed to make an effort to feel the same. It was just hard to do that when he was pushing into her time with Maura.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired and I want to chill out here with you and the game and not hearing your phone go off every three seconds," the detective explained.

Maura cooed and gently rubbed Jane's back. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't realize it was so distracting. I also didn't realize how much I've been ignoring you. I did agree to watch the game with you."

Jane pulled back to look her friend in the eyes. "So, you'll pay attention then?"

"Yes. Now, may I have my phone back?"

"After the game."

Maura did not object. Jane put the phone down between her body and the arm of the couch. They settled back into their places on the sofa. Maura moved closer to Jane, as if the small distance between them before would have made it difficult for Jane to hear her questions or her random bits of historical trivia. Jane supposed that by moving closer it could have been Maura's way of apologizing and making sure Jane was aware of how serious she was taking things.

Throughout the game, Jane had to remind herself that she was happy that Maura seemed to be getting back to normal. She was happy that Maura had found a man that could put a smile on her face with a text message, even if the last guy that did that turned out to be an ass. Mr. Burns seemed to make Maura feel good, but he was already starting to cut into her Maura-time, which was not cool. She supposed she would have to deal with it and consider it the price of Maura being happy if the amount of unanswered text messages she felt rumble through the phone during the game meant anything.

"God, what the hell are you two talking about? My butt vibrated through the whole game!" Jane gripped as she passed the busy cell phone back to Maura.

The doctor laughed. "We're just debating our next date for the most part, but he keeps sliding little adorable things in with the hope of swaying my opinion. I would like to go to the Bodies exhibit."

"Maura, we've been there, like, four times. Hell, I just took you two months ago," Jane pointed out. It was a very cool exhibit, with some creepy parts. More science things should just show people the cool and the not-so-cool stuff. Seeing the exhibit did make her more open to go to science things with Maura, even thought none of those were as cool as Bodies.

"I know, but I like the exhibit. They have new things there, too."

Jane arched an interested eyebrow. "Really? Hell, if he doesn't take you, I will. I want to see new stuff. What does he want to see?"

Maura smiled and her eyes shone with delight that Jane hoped came from her offer and not thoughts of Alistair Burns. "He wants to go to the museum of fine arts for a Chinese lacquer exhibit."

Jane's face twisted up. "I don't even know what that is, but I know it can't be as cool as the Bodies exhibit. How about you do his thing with him and then we can go see the Bodies thing again later?"

Maura's face lit up. "That's a great idea, Jane! I wanted to see the Chinese Lacquer exhibit, too."

The detective preened from being able to put such a smile on Maura's face. _Bet ol' Burnsy couldn't do that_. Of course, he had made Maura giggle over texts, several texts actually. She had to admit, even if it was to herself, the guy had to be doing something right because Maura had been seeing him for almost a month now. With their jobs, a month was really only five dates, with three of them ending in under ten minutes thanks to the number of homicides in the city of Boston, some rushed phone calls, and emails, but that was a record for Maura in the past five months.

"So, you thinking about upping his official status yet? Is he boyfriend material?" Jane asked curiously.

Maura glanced away to think about it and then showed that she figured it out with a nod. "I think he might be. We have so much to talk about and we're always both so excited to share news with each other. Not to mention, there are so many places that we want to show each other, which was why we argue over where to go on dates."

"There are worse things to argue about."

"Agreed. I have a good time with him."

Jane smiled. "That's good. Maybe he's the one." For some reason, her voice cracked when she said that.

Maura's face turned white. "I think it's too soon to say that." And for some reason, she sounded almost panicked by that.

An odd, relieved feeling flowed through Jane, but she ignored it. Right now, she focused on her friend, wanting to get Maura back to normal. "Well, you should hang out with him more and find out. You're different with him than other guys. It might mean something."

Maura's brow wrinkled cutely. "I'm different?" she asked with a little curious tilt of her head.

"Well, you're …" Jane paused, hoping this would not sound as bad aloud as if did in her head. "You're getting to know him. You usually go after a guy based on some physical feature that attracts you, but with him, you just seem to enjoy being with him."

The doctor was quiet for what seemed like a long time. "You might be right. I do enjoy being around him and talking to him. We share interests and respect what we have to say. Maybe I should upgrade his status."

"Take your time. Don't jump into a relationship because I said something that made sense to you for the first time since we've known each other. Go at your own pace. Do what will make you happy."

Maura's face lit up again and she threw herself on Jane, hugging the detective tightly in thanks. That was more than enough for Jane. She truly did want Maura to be happy and Mr. Burns seemed like he had a chance at delivering. _Provided he's not a secret jackass_. She glanced down at Maura, still holding her. _I don't know if she can take another jackass, so please don't be a jackass, Burns_.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura had made it up to six full dates with Alistair before she thought Jane might be right about upgrading his status. Yes, it took a while to get there, with plenty of calls, texts, and emails in between, but Maura considered he might just be her boyfriend. As he walked her to her door, ending their sixth date, she almost just blurted out that she wanted him to be her boyfriend.

"Would you like to come in?" she proposed, hoping to avoid saying anything extreme. Of course, she realized that in itself sounded extreme. "I have a bottle of wine I think you'd enjoy."

Alistair smiled. "I would love to."

Maura almost grinned, but caught herself. She did not want to come across as too eager because she thought he would get the wrong idea. However, it did not help that she practically floated into the house. He followed, still smiling.

"You can sit on the sofa while I pour the wine," she told him, pointing toward the couch, as if he might miss it.

"All right," he replied in the agreeable, lighthearted tone he always used when speaking with her.

"Be careful of Bass," she warned because she noticed the tortoise slowly but surely making his way to the living room.

"Bass?" The name was followed by a yelp. "My, that is a big fella. What type of turtle is he?"

"He's an African tortoise, not a turtle," she corrected him.

"Oh, imagine that. He seems like he'd be a great conversation piece and you don't have to worry about him humping your leg like a dog," he remarked with a laugh.

"Well, I like having a dog, too," Maura said as she poured the wine.

"You have a dog, too?"

"Oh, no, I don't," she answered, realizing now that in her mind, Jo Friday, Jane's dog, was her dog, too. She supposed it was because she walked Jo, fed her, and played with the energetic pooch when Jo was there or when she was over at Jane's apartment.

"Then what did you mean?" he asked curiously.

Maura marched into the room with the wine on a tray that also contained a platter of cheese, crackers, and grapes. Alistair quickly rose from the sofa to relieve her of the tray and place it on the coffee table. He took Maura's hand, sitting down with her. _He's so sweet!_

"So, what's this about the dog you own, but don't own?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"Well, she's really my best friend's dog. I've told you about Jane." In fact, she was fairly certain that over sixty percent of her end of their conversations included Jane.

He laughed. "The woman that saved me from the Bodies exhibit. Bless her soul since I have no desire to see a fetus in a jar."

"The exhibit has more than that and one day I will shatter your delusion on it. Anyway, Jo Friday is Jane's dog. I adore her as if she were my own."

"You must be very close to Jane to consider her dog your own or you really wanted a dog when you were a child," he chuckled.

"I am quite close to Jane. She's my best friend."

He nodded. "It's good that you have someone so close to you that you can co-own their pet."

She smiled at him because he was probably the only man that she had ever met that did not mind her mentioning Jane so often. He did not seem bothered by it, even though he never really tried to build on the statements. Of course, she typically brought up Jane in an anecdote and he would then chime in with an anecdote of his own. She could only appreciate the way conversation flowed with him. It was easy to talk to him.

"I wonder if I could talk someone into sharing a dog with me. I think I would enjoy one as long as I don't have to walk it everyday," he remarked.

She chuckled. "I would not mind walking Jo Friday more often. I enjoy my strolls with her and sometimes Jane will come along and we have a good time out."

He nodded and they both smiled at each other. The conversation from there strayed every couple of minutes to random comments on museums and histories of places around the world. He could match her in trivia sometimes, although he could only do it when it came to architecture. He marveled that she could do it with almost anything.

Maura was pleased that Alistair did not make any overtures trying to make the night more than it was. He offered gentle touches to her knee, elbow, and shoulder, but nothing more. He made no demands of her, letting her approach their blossoming relationship at her own pace.

"You made a wonderful selection, Maura. The wine especially was something I doubt I could ever put into words. Thank you for inviting me in and sharing," Alistair said once they were done.

"It was my pleasure."

"Well, it was the perfect end to the perfect evening. I hope we have more like it."

She smiled. "I hope for the same."

"Well, does that mean you'd like to accompany me to the theater this Saturday?" he entreated with a charming smile.

His expression made her heart flutter and she almost jumped at the opportunity, but she held off. Saturday was her day with Jane. They spent the time doing things with each other and even though she knew the theater would not take up the whole day, she was not sure if she wanted to trade in movie night with Jane to go to the theater with Alistair. Yes, she enjoyed his company, but Jane was Jane. She would have to ask Jane what she should do, even though she was certain she knew what Jane would say.

"I'm not sure if I'm free on that day as I'm meant to spend time with Jane. I'll call you," she told him.

His smile wavered a bit, but he managed to hold most of it. "Of course. I'll await your call."

She smiled and walked him to the door. They exchanged a simple, but beatific kiss on the lips before he walked out. She sighed as her heart fluttered watching him go to his car. As she closed the door, she practically ran to her phone and almost tripped over Bass. Regaining some composure, she called Jane.

"Yeah, Maura?" Jane sounded like she was asleep, which would not surprise Maura. The detective had worn herself out with their latest case.

"Sorry for waking you," Maura apologized, trying to keep her excitement out of her voice, but it was impossible.

"Then can you not sound so damned happy about it?" the lanky brunette grumbled.

Maura yelped. "Sorry!"

Jane laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Maura. I'm sure your date went great and that's why you're so perky at eleven at night. I hope he's not snoring or something."

The doctor's brow furrowed as she processed what her friend meant. "Oh! He's not here anymore. He went home a few minutes ago."

"Oh." Jane's tone was odd, but Maura was not sure what to make of it. _I wish I could see her and then I'd get a better idea what that sound means_. She was not given a chance to decipher it as Jane continued. "Well, you sound too happy for him to have done something wrong, so what's up?"

"Alistair has tickets to the theater on Saturday and has invited me to attend. It would undoubtedly mean cancelling our movie night." Maura bit her lip and wondered if she sounded as worried as she felt.

Jane chuckled, but it sounded forced and somewhat hollow. "Geez, Maura, it's just movie night. Not like we were trying to figure out how to solve world hunger and we can always watch the movies another time. You should go out with your future husband. It'll be a cute story for your kids."

"What? My future husband? It's only been a few weeks, Jane," the doctor objected. The thought of marrying actually made her shudder. She was not sure if it was because marriage to Alistair bothered her or marriage in general. She decided not to think about it.

The brunette laughed again, sounding more amused now. "But, you're having more fun with him than you have with any guy in recent memory. You're not after his body and haven't mentioned sleeping with him yet."

"I'm not sleeping with him," Maura felt the need to point out.

"That's good, but again, it shows that he's different from other guys you've dated. He might mean something to you and you should use your time to find out if he does, so go to the theater with him and continue to not sleep with him if that's what you think you should do," Jane insisted.

Maura wanted to find some flaw in that logic, but for some reason it made sense to her. She was different with Alistair. She wanted to blame it on he-who-shall-not-be-named, shaking her to her core and making it impossible for her to experience her usual form of dating, but it was more than that. Things had gone beyond her trying to be normal to something more. _Maybe it does mean something and maybe I have some sort of connection with him. I definitely have some sort of affinity with him and the only way for me to find out more is to examine things more closely and gather more evidence_.

"All right. I'll go with him," Maura proclaimed.

"Good, glad that's decided. Now, I'm going back to bed." The line went dead.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror, pleased with her choice of dresses. Jane had left a few minutes ago after stroking her ego some by telling her how amazing she looked and how much Alistair was going to love her in her outfit. She had noted an odd expression in Jane's eyes, but she was not sure what it meant. She had asked if Jane was all right and Jane assured her that she was. The sound of the doorbell knocked Maura out of her thoughts. She gave herself one more look before rushing off to greet Alistair.

"Good evening, pretty lady," he smiled at her. It made him look so sweet and then he produced a bouquet of roses from behind his back, which only made him seem all the more charming. "These are for you."

"Thank you. You didn't have to," she pointed out while accepting the half-dozen roses.

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I want to give you fine things," he remarked, laughing a bit.

She smiled. "I'll put these in water and then we can go."

"Take your time. I made us dinner reservations before the show, if you don't mind."

"Well, I ate with Jane, but it wasn't that heavy, so dinner should be fine."

"Jane's cutting into my date," he joked. "Or am I cutting into her night?" he grinned as she turned to look at him. She chuckled because his eyes shined with childish amusement.

The couple left and went to dinner at a restaurant that was near the theater. Maura nodded her approval at the establishment and Alistair puffed up with pride as they were shown to their table. They were left with menus, even though Maura did not need one.

"I love bringing Jane here," Maura commented with a smile.

"Oh, you've been here before?" Alistair looked curious more than anything else.

"Yes. The theater we're going to, I managed to take Jane to a small showing of Macbeth, which she enjoyed. We came here before the play and I ordered the lamb for her. She doesn't usually eat lamb, but I needed her to try it here. It's perfect. In fact, you should try it."

Alistair smiled. "I think I will. You've always proven that you have excellent taste, after all, and you haven't steered me wrong yet."

Maura almost grinned from the vote of confidence. It was not something that she was used to on a date lately. _Maybe it's just the men I've been dating. I've been going after men that not only having noticeable medical ailments I can diagnose within seconds, but temperaments that made Jane follow me on more than one occasion. Alistair is nothing like that. So, perhaps I am growing and moving on_.

"So, are you going to tell me what we're seeing or is it going to be surprise?" the doctor inquired.

He gave her a playful smile. "Definitely a surprise and don't try to use your feminine wiles on me. I've taken immunity pills for that."

"I don't think such pills exist."

He laughed. "Yes, but if only they did, so I could be sure I won't spoil the surprise. Please, don't pout or bat your eyes at me for I may break."

"I'm sure you have a stronger will than that."

He scoffed. "My younger sisters will tell you that I'm easily broken. They have me wrapped around their little fingers. But, really, Maura, I want this to be a surprise. So, please, do not ask me about the show anymore. There are plenty of other things for us to discuss."

She nodded. "Yes, like the fact that you have sisters. This is the first I'm hearing of them."

"I am the only brother of three younger sisters. It's so horrible," he sighed dramatically, but he continued to smile. "I have pictures of them on my phone if you wish to see."

Maura smiled and nodded. He wasted no time producing pictures of the trio. They all had the same sandy blond hair as Alistair, but only one shared his blue eyes. He flipped through a few of them, letting her get a good look at each young woman on her own and in a group. His eyes were warm as she looked at the pictures.

"They're getting so grown. Actually, the oldest one, Bridgette is grown. Although, if you ask them, they all think they're grown. The youngest one, Beth, just graduated college and even though she still lives at home, she swears that she's an adult," he remarked with a fond smile.

"Well, historically speaking, they would be considered adult women in almost any culture at the ages you've mentioned. Legally, they are adults and would be recognized as such in any country on Earth. Physically speaking, Beth may be able to argue a case against as our brains do not reach full maturity until our mid to late twenties," she replied.

He laughed. "I have to remember to tell her the next time she tries to argue with me that she's an adult. I'm not considering her one until she stops asking to borrow my car." He put his phone away. "Do you have any siblings?"

She shook her head. "Well, it's complicated. I'm adopted. I'm the only child of my adoptive parents, but my biological parents are another long, complex tale."

"Maybe long, complex tales should wait until we've celebrated an anniversary of some kind," he suggested and she smiled because she really did not want to go into detail about her difficult family.

Their food arrived and the subject switched to the lamb that Alistair ordered. He had a reaction similar to Jane's when she had the same exact meal. He looked like he was ready to melt into the seat as he slowly chewed his first bite. She laughed.

"Oh, my god, how can this taste this good?" he actually moaned.

"That's just what Jane said."

"It's the only thing you can say!"

She chuckled and watched him eat. She recalled that Jane had actually requested, as a joke, to be left alone with the food. Alistair did not take it that far, but he said he would be coming back to the restaurant more often. Maura was pleased with that and smiled softly through out dinner. Their meal was not a long, drawn out affair because they did have a show to get to.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane sat at the bar in the emptying Dirty Robber and stared into her glass. Usually, she would never sit with her back to a door nor would she have anything stronger than beer, but tonight she felt like nothing short of bourbon would make things better. Of course, she could not figure out why she needed things to be better, but she was certain the bourbon was helping.

"Well, that's certainly the face I'd expect of a Celtic fan that knows the Clippers are going to kick their asses next week," Ariela proclaimed as she entered the establishment and stepped right up to Jane.

The detective groaned. She was not in the mood to deal with the surprisingly loud and peppy ADA. Of course, that did not stop Ariela from sitting down next to her and eyeballing her.

"You look like Hell," Ariela stated.

"No shit. Can't help but wonder how you're not the DA yet with such keen observations," Jane snorted. Unfortunately, she also slurred a bit.

"Somebody's a cranky drunk."

"What the hell are you even doing here? This is a cop bar."

Ariela looked around. "Really? They should post a sign then."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was walking from the station to the train and saw you as I went by. Your shoulders are all dropped and slumped, so I decided to investigate. What's up? Where's the work-wife?" Ariela looked around, trying to find Maura.

Ariela had met Maura some time ago, but it was through work and a rather normal day, so she was rather professional. She had not latched onto Maura as she did Jane, but she did hear things and was gaining an understanding about the detective and chief medical examiner. She was about to get even more as the couple of bourbons that Jane had loosened her lips.

"She's out with the boyfriend, Mr. Burns. We were supposed to have movie night, but the great Alistair Burns had tickets to the theater and I told her to go with him," Jane explained with a sneer, making sure to use a snotty when saying Alistair's name and "theater."

"Oh, that sucks, but your plan is to sit here, sulk, and get drunk?" Ariela inquired with a furrowed brow.

"It was working up until you showed up," Jane snapped.

"Yeah, looks that way," the lawyer said sarcastically. "Come on, get up." She tucked her hand under Jane's arm to pull her off the barstool.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jane huffed.

"You shouldn't get drunk without someone to drive you home and if it's movies you want, we can do that. In fact, there's a movie I want to see and you're taking me."

"I must be drunkier than I thought because I don't recall saying I was taking you anywhere." A voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like Maura told her that "drunkier" was not a word, but she refused to believe that.

Ariela smirked. "Is it because I'm Mexican?"

Jane made a strangled noise and coughed up some of her drink. Ariela laughed. Angry, brown eyes glared at the chuckling ADA.

"You're sick! You and your damned weird sense of humor," Jane growled.

"I can't always put it down to being a lesbian," the attorney pointed out with a smile. "So, let's get going to the movies before my next line is that I'm a woman."

Jane laughed despite her intention to just be pissed with Ariela. "You're reaching now."

"I know and you don't want me to reach even more. When I get desperate, the lines get worse. So, let's go to the movies before this gets worse."

"Oh well, I'd hate for this to get worse." Jane pulled out her wallet and paid her tab. She stumbled as she stood, but remained on her feet.

Ariela put her arm around Jane to help steady the cop. The cold air helped sober Jane up and she silently conceded that she might enjoy a night out instead of drowning in a bottle. Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she decided to go with the flow. It might make her feel better and Ariela was cool. _Who knows, I might enjoy myself like when we went to the game_.

"This movie better be awesome," Jane grumbled and Ariela only laughed.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Jane and Maura talk about their nights out. Ariela hangs out with Jane, Frost, and Korsak.


	4. On the move

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

4: On the move

"Okay, that movie was awesome," Jane conceded with a smile as she and Ariela exited the theater almost three hours after Ariela dragged the detective out of the Dirty Robber. Jane was thankfully sober now after Ariela had practically force-fed her two hot dogs, some nachos, popcorn, and other junk food.

"Yeah, it was way better than I expected," the lawyer said as they began walking back toward the bar to retrieve Jane's car. Hopefully, they did not freeze to death before they got there. She tugged on her coat, as if that would somehow heat her up.

"I thought you said you wanted to see that movie," Jane pointed out while lightly chuckling at how the attorney was pulling on her coat. She was not sure if Ariela was going to survive the winter, especially considering how red her generally tan cheeks were already.

Ariela shrugged. "I might have exaggerated my desire just to make sure you didn't run off while I was buying tickets. I didn't want you to go back to the bar. I mean, do you want to explain to your work-wife that you got drunk last night because she was out with her boyfriend?"

The detective balked. "Stop calling Maura my work-wife. That's what clowns around the station call her to get on my nerves. But, you're right about not wanting to explain the hangover to Maura. She'd probably figure it the moment she saw me and then grill on my drinking while telling me how horrible it is. I don't want to deal with her nagging, too."

"Maura seems like the health food type, so I probably shouldn't mention the two hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and skittles I shoved down your throat, right?"

Jane's eyes went wide as she imagined the miles she would have to run after Maura found out about what basically qualified as her dinner. "You would be saving me from a massive headache if you never said those words to her or around her or ever again really because I will never hear the end of it."

Ariela chuckled, but nodded. "Gotcha. My mouth is sealed." She made a childish gesture of locking her lips with an invisible key and tossing the key away.

"Good. Now, what were you doing at the station on a Saturday night?" Jane asked.

"You mean beyond freezing my ass off?"

"You should be careful of that. You don't have much to spare," Jane joked.

"You looking at my ass, _chica_? I know it's too fine to resist."

"Don't avoid the question. What were you doing at the station?"

The lawyer gave her a teasing smile. "Always the detective, huh?"

Jane shrugged. "I'm naturally curious."

"I needed to see evidence on a case we're trying to put together. I was there for hours. I'm not sure the case is going to be good for murder one like the detectives want." Ariela sighed, her breath visible for a long moment, and her shoulder slumped.

"You'll just have to do the best you can with what they gave you unless the detectives can bring you more evidence."

The ADA shrugged. "I suppose."

"Don't let the guys push you around for more either. I know they can be jerks and they'll take a mile if you give an inch most of the time."

"I'm learning that, too. I'm surprised by how many assholes offer to cure me of my horrible lesbianism."

Jane sucked her teeth. "They are assholes. Wait, how do they know you're a lesbian? You told them or something?"

Ariela shook her head. "When you turn down every guy that offers to buy you dinner, they just start assuming things."

The detective scoffed. "Because clearly nothing could be wrong with them."

Ariela rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"We're coming up to my car." Jane pointed to her unmarked and quickly shoved her hand back into her pocket to avoid getting frostbite. She was sure that she would not be able to move her hands by the time she got in the car, despite having warm pockets.

Her companion nodded and tucked her chin deeper into her coat. Jane was sure that if she could have burrowed deeper into her coat, the lawyer would have done so by now and been somewhere in the middle of the thing. Actually, Jane could burrow deeper into her own coat, she would because it seemed like the chill was picking up.

"Okay, are you cool to drive now?" Ariela asked as they stood in front of Jane's car.

Jane gave a short nod. "Yeah, I had those drinks three hours and a lot of junk food ago. I'm fine."

"Good. I better get going, so I don't miss the last train and die from exposure."

Jane regarded her as if she were insane. "I'm not letting you take the train home after you saved me from myself. The least I can do is drive you home. Now, get in here before you freeze your California butt off."

"You either buy me dinner first or you stop looking at my California butt. And I'm only accepting this ride because it's fucking freezing!" She visibly shivered to make her point, not that it needed to be made.

Jane laughed as she unlocked the car doors. "You might not make it in Boston if you think this is freezing."

Ariela's eyes went wide with terror and she gasped. "You mean it gets colder?"

The detective snorted. "Duh." She almost laughed because Ariela seriously looked scared. "God, if you're this crazy over the cold what're you going to do when we have a snow storm?"

"Snow storm?" Ariela went white.

Jane snickered. "You poor California baby."

"Can't you guys just have normal weather, like wild fires?" the prosecutor joked.

"Let me get you home before you jinx us because you clearly don't know New England weather. It could rain fire and brimstone and we wouldn't be surprised."

"I hope that wasn't supposed to make me feel better."

"No, I'm trying to run you out of town."

"Because I'm Mexican?" Ariela joked.

"Nah, I just hate people from on the west coast," Jane retorted with a teasing smile.

"I knew it was something! You East Coasters and your damn elitist attitudes!"

Jane snickered and the messing around stalled as Jane got directions to Ariela's apartment. The lawyer spent the whole car ride blowing on her hands and complaining about how she could see her breath. Jane only laughed every time Ariela said something. Surprisingly, the ride seemed very short and they seemed to come to her apartment building within moments of getting in the car.

"Thanks so much for the lift, but thanks even more for the heat!" the ADA remarked with a bright grin.

Jane smiled. "Hey, you're the one that proclaimed us friends and friends do cool things for each other, especially when one of us stops the other from doing something stupid."

Ariela nodded. "I knew I picked a good friend in you. Thanks for this."

"No, thank you. You saved me a lot of trouble by pulling me from that bar."

"And you saved me from freezing to death. We're doing a good job taking care of each other. Now, you find me a girlfriend and I'll be forever in your debt."

Jane snorted and rolled her eyes. "You'll be waiting a long time. I can't even get myself a date. Maura handles that for me."

"Then loan me Maura, so she can find me a girlfriend. Tell her I'm not picky, except I need a woman that can cook."

Jane shook her head. "Trust me, you don't want to go down that road. It's dark and windy and scary as hell."

"Sounds like my last date."

The detective chuckled. "Mine, too."

Ariela laughed and the pair exchanged farewells. Ariela exited the car and Jane stuck around until the petite woman was in the building. _Tonight actually turned out good. Ariela is cool. Maybe I'll hang out with her more, especially if Maura is as gone on Mr. Burns as she seems_.

-8-8-8-8-

"Jane, I'm so happy you told me to go with Alistair," Maura cooed with a delighted smile on her face. They were in her office, waiting for test results of their latest murder case. Maura had been smiling all morning, which was probably inappropriate during an autopsy, but she could not help herself.

"I'm guessing you had fun at the theater," Jane remarked, saying the last word with a British accent. Or at least what she assumed to be a British accent because it was not from any region in the United Kingdom that Maura could identify.

The doctor's face lit up as she recalled the play. "I did. It was an amazing production."

Jane rolled her eyes. "And what did the wonderful, talented Mr. Burns do to make the evening so dreamy?"

Maura smiled and drifted off mentally, remembering the night before once again. Almost lost in her memories, Jane snapped her fingers in front of her face. Maura shook her head and refocused on her best friend.

"Okay, now I really need to know what he did to make you go all mushy eyed," Jane remarked.

"It was nothing really. It was just that throughout the play, I was able to point out historical facts and background and he really appreciated it. He didn't just smile and nod like a lot of men I date do."

A small smile settled on Jane's face. "That is nice."

"Yes. I think he may like me on more than a physical level, which is quite flattering as I view him in the same light. He's so intelligent, Jane. He always has some anecdote to go with some fact I give him. He knows so much about ancient societies and cities and …" Maura just sighed.

The detective snickered. "That's cool, huh?"

"I really like him. I feel like he understands me and he doesn't push me. He accepts what I offer and doesn't press for more. He's content to let me set the pace of our relationship."

"Oh, so it's a relationship now?" Jane teased.

A hot blush burned the medical examiner's cheeks. "Well, yes, it is. We've gone out several times and we're exclusive."

"Are you? This is news to me."

Maura laughed. "Well, it was to me, too. Alistair explained last night over a very romantic dinner where he actually called over a violin play to play for us while we ate dessert that he had not seen another woman since we began dating and he hoped that I had not been seeing other men because he wished to see where we could go as a couple. I agreed and, so we're now exclusive."

"Impressive, Doctor Isles. Before you weren't sure if you were comfortable with him being your boyfriend and now you're exclusively dating him. Making progress. I hope I he doesn't ask you to marry him over dessert with a violin playing nearby for another few months."

Maura gave Jane a smile, even though she knew the detective was teasing her. She felt like something was off with her best friend, but she could not put her finger on it. Jane seemed happy for her, but there was some strain to her words that could not be chalked up to her usual snarky behavior. There was a bit of hardness in Jane's dark eyes that had nothing to do with work. She decided to keep an eye on Jane's expressions and listen to her tones more careful.

"I'm sorry that we didn't have movie night," Maura said, in case that was bothering her best friend. "We can reschedule it."

Jane waved that off. "Don't be sorry. I told you to go and I meant it. I want you to be happy and you're happy with Burnsy. Besides, I hung out with Ariela."

Maura felt a small jolt go through her and settle in her stomach. It caused her belly to quiver, but she was not sure what to make of it. For a brief moment, she feared that she might vomit, but the sensation passed before that embarrassment happened. Instead of dwelling on it and causing an awkward silence between them, Maura flashed Jane a bright smile that she hoped did not look as forced as it felt.

"That's good. What did you do?" the doctor inquired, pleased that her voice sounded so normal.

The lanky brunette waved her off again. "Nothing, just saw a movie. She reminded me that we have a Celtics' game in a week."

"Oh, you're going to another basketball game with her?" _They seem to be spending a lot of time together_.

Jane gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Yeah, she still wants me to go with her to the Clippers' game."

Maura was confused. "Are the Celtics playing or the Clippers?"

Jane laughed, throwing her head back a little as if she just heard a very amusing joke. "Both. They're playing each other."

"Who are the Clippers? I don't think I've ever heard you mention them before."

"Because there's no reason to mention them. They play the Celtics twice a year and only once in Boston. Plus, there's no great rivalry there. The only reason I'm going to this game is because she invited me and she's an LA fan."

Maura was still bewildered. "But, I thought the Lakers were LA's team."

"They are, but LA has two teams."

Before Maura could ask more questions and get the history of the entire NBA, senior criminal analyst Susie Chang entered the office with the test results. Jane breathed a sigh and seemed relieved. Maura raised an eyebrow to the sound, but she did not address the noise. Instead, she got up to see the test results, too.

-8-8-8-8-

As soon as their case was over and they found themselves with free time, Maura found herself making plans with Alistair. It had been four straight days without seeing him and she found herself anxious for him, which was odd. _Maybe Jane's right and he is special_. Strangely enough, that thought caused her stomach to quiver. _What's wrong with me?_ She shook it off while trying not to run to her car as soon as the day was done.

"Damn, Doctor Isles might leave scorch marks on the tile with the way she's fleeing the scene," Detective Frost remarked from somewhere behind Maura.

She barely managed to resist the urge to turn and explain to him why that was physically impossible in her current shoes. She also could have sworn she heard Jane snicker, but she ignored that, too. She did not have the time to joke around with them, even though she wished that she could. Alistair had accommodated her rather last-minute request for a date and came through with an activity for them, so she could not keep him waiting. _I probably should've seen if Jane was doing anything before I called Alistair_. It was too late for that now, though.

As she got into her car, her cell phone went rang. "Yes, Jane?"

"We're going out for drinks at the Robber. Can't you stay for one? Frost gets cranky when you're not there," Jane teased.

"I get cranky?" she heard Detective Frost huff indignantly. "You should see Jane when you're not around, doc."

Maura smiled softly and her heart fluttered ever so slightly. "I would love to, but Alistair purchased tickets for us to go wine tasting this evening and I have ninety minutes to prepare. I will certainly join you at the next opportunity."

"All right, Maura. Have fun tasting wine while we guzzle beer. No ticket necessary," Jane laughed. "I'll have one or two in your honor."

"Goodbye, Jane," the doctor said and before she disconnected the call she heard Detective Frost lament not having tickets to go wine tasting. _He's quite cultured_, she thought with a kind smile. _Perhaps one day I'll take him wine tasting since I doubt I could get Jane to do it … well, without having to do things the hard way, anyway_. Of course, the hard way was also rather fun. She shook that off and focused on getting home.

She rushed home as fast as safety would allow. She immediately jumped in the shower, wanting to wash her body and mind. She needed to put the last case out of her head and get prepared mentally for something that she had been looking forward to all week. It was hard to get in the mood because she thought about Jane and her friends at the Dirty Robber, but she did her best. She stayed in for almost forty-five minutes.

After her shower, Maura prepared for her date. She almost finished, just needing to pick out shoes, when the doorbell rang. A whine mixed with a groan escaped Maura as she momentarily abandoned her hunt for the perfect shoes to go answer the door. Alistair stood before her with a charming smile and holding a dozen roses.

"Flowers for my lady," he remarked, presenting her with the bouquet. He leaned down to kiss her hand. "My extremely well dressed and beautiful lady."

Maura giggled. She could not believe it, she did not know where the sound came from, but it was out there. She felt like a child, as if she were receiving flowers for the first time. Not to mention as if she was being complimented for the first time. Is it him or just the fact that I have almost never dated a man that has treated me this way? She was not sure, but she hoped that it was him.

"Thank you. I'll just put these in some water," she informed him as she accepted the flowers with a delighted smile. She took the short walk to the kitchen. "Would you like anything?"

"No, we really should get going."

"Of course. Let me just get my shoes."

His brow wrinkled as his eyebrows drew closer together. "You're not ready yet? Maura, you said you'd be ready." A frowned began at the corner of his lips.

"I am. I just need to put on my shoes and then we can go."

He blinked and shook his head, which got rid of his tiny scowl. "Oh, well, please do. We're cutting it close as it is."

She nodded and rushed off. She noted that he seemed a little impatient, which was unlike him. She supposed he could just be stressed because they were cutting it close or he could have just had a tough day, as everyone has one every once and awhile. Well, not wanting to add to whatever was dragging Alistair's mood down, she quickly spotted a pair of shoes to complement her dress.

"I'm ready now," Maura announced as she returned to the living room.

Alistair gave her one of his most brilliant smiles. "Your carriage awaits my lady."

She returned the smile, but her expression was a bit tense. She grabbed her coat and he silently helped her into it. She hoped that meant his rare foul mood was going back to wherever it came from. She wanted to enjoy their time together, after all. They left the house, going into the biting cold, braving the chill for the want of good wine.

"I hope you haven't done this with Jane, too," Alistair remarked as he held open the passenger side door of his X5 and helped her into the seat.

"No, but it is on a list of things I have to get her to try," Maura replied. "I think I'm going to take her partner, Detective Frost, first and then have him help me convince Jane to try it."

He nodded. "You want to do almost everything with Jane, don't you?"

"Well, she is my best friend." He only nodded to that response, but for some reason, Maura found the action odd. She decided to put it out of her head and enjoy their date.

-8-8-8-8-

"I can't believe the doc dumped us," Korsak complained as he, Jane, and Frost entered the Dirty Robber.

"I'd dump you, too, and for a lot less than wine tasting," Frost remarked with one of his more elfish smiles as the trio slid into a booth.

"Hey, she really likes this guy," Jane informed them while motioning for a waiter. They ordered a round of beers.

"Is he a good guy?" Frost asked with brotherly concern.

"From what she says, he sounds like it, but I haven't met him yet," Jane replied.

Korsak arched an eyebrow. "You haven't met him yet? How long has she been seeing him?"

The brunette shrugged. "A couple of months now. I think she wants to make sure he's not nuts before she introduces him." _Of course, I have looked into him a bit and made sure he's not nuts, but I can't tell them that or they'll swear I'm being overprotective again. I can't let her out of my sight, though, unless I know exactly who the hell she's dealing with_.

"Does she seem better since the whole Dennis serial killer thing?" Korsak asked.

"She's so much better that they've made it past three dates and she let him in the house, which she hadn't done with any of the guys before him. But, she does still text me her location every hour, just in case," Jane explained.

"Poor doc," Korsak sighed.

"Well, she's stopped shadowing Jane, too, so she's got to be on the road to recovery," Frost pointed out with a positive, yet teasing shine in his eyes. "Good thing Jane stopped shadowing her, too, or I figured one of us were going to have to arrest Detective Rizzoli for stalking."

Jane snorted, but did not say anything as a pitcher of draft and three glasses were set on the table. They toasted to a job well done and making the streets of Boston a little bit safer. Jane also toasted Maura, wishing her good luck with her new beau, even though as she made the toast, her throat burned a bit. They touched glasses and then were quiet for moment, gathering their thoughts on everything. Before anyone said anything profound or profane, Jane spotted their friendly neighborhood ADA coming through the door and Ariela could clearly use a drink, looking worn out and wary with lines under her eyes and her straight hair somewhat frizzed.

"Hey!" Jane waved the lawyer over.

Ariela turned and smiled as soon as her eyes fell upon the group. She practically rushed over, holding her leather satchel close to her body. Jane moved over to make space for the haggard attorney.

"What's up, Ariela? You look like you just went twelve rounds and lost," Jane remarked.

"Dealing with Detective Crowe. _Carajo_, what a _punta_," Ariela huffed.

"Harsh language, but accurate," Frost chuckled.

"Just breathing the same air as Crowe means you deserve a drink," Korsak said. He motioned to their waiter for another glass.

"Hell, if you didn't kill him, you deserve a medal and possibly to be nominated for sainthood," Jane remarked.

"Oh, believe me, I'm expecting my Nobel Peace Prize in the mail. How the hell can a human being be that much of a dickhead and not be required to wear a condom over his face?" Ariela commented.

"I'm guessing you won't be taking him to the next Celtic game. Can I have his spot?" Frost joked, batting his eyelashes like a smitten girl.

The ADA laughed. "There are no more Celtic games. Jane and I went to the last one over the weekend where my Clippers beat the Celtics collective asses."

Jane snorted. "They won by two points on a lucky shot!"

"It still goes down in the win column," Ariela replied.

"Wait, you took Jane to two Celtics game? Are you guys sorority sisters or something?" Frost teased.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Even if I did go to college, I'd never join anything that would take her," she joked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the smaller woman.

There was a mischievous glint in Ariela's eyes. "It's because I'm Mexican, right?" The guys choked on their beer while she winked at Jane.

"Nah, because you're a Lakers' fan," Jane retorted with a smirk.

Ariela laughed and her glass arrived and Jane poured her a beer. Frost and Korsak got over their shock, but Jane snickered at them as they eyed Ariela. They were obviously trying to figure out what to make of her. The lawyer smirked at them like an imp.

"So, how do you like Boston so far?" Frost asked after he fully recovered.

Ariela shrugged. "It turns out its not Hell, even though the Devil lives here."

"The Devil?" Korsak echoed.

"My ex."

Korsak shuddered. "'Nuff said."

"But, I'm enjoying myself. It's colder than home, but I liked seeing snow for the first time. And slowly, but surely I've been making friends, like Jane," Ariela said with a smile.

Jane snorted. "As far as, I can tell I'm your only friend."

"You might be right about that. Work has been taking up a lot of my time," the lawyer remarked with a sheepish smile.

"Hey, consider us two more," Frost offered.

"Especially if you get hockey tickets," Korsak chimed in.

Ariela laughed. "Sorry, I only follow basketball."

"Oh, well, come spring, I've got to introduce you to the great American past time and you will be a Sox fan," Jane ordered.

"If not, do I get a spanking?" Ariela asked with a naughty smile.

Jane went right with the flow. "With a paddle and you go to bed with no dessert, young lady." Frost and Korsak looked like they were about to swallow their tongues.

Ariela laughed. "Well, I like dessert, so I'll try. Besides, I told you to stop focusing on my ass unless you're buying me dinner."

Jane chuckled and made plans to get Ariela into baseball. She thought it would be fun, especially since she was starting to get and use Ariela's humor. She was looking forward to that. She had a good time with the group, but called to check on Maura as they were leaving. She just wanted to make sure everything was fine.

"How was the doc?" Frost asked as they stopped into the arctic chilled night.

"Fine. They're having a late dinner at her house, so I guess I'm headed home," Jane informed them.

"Do you have to go home? I just made two new friends. Show me around," Ariela requested with a small smile.

"That sounds like something that could be exhausting and considering how crazy today was, I think I'll pass," Korsak said, holding his hands up. Considering how much running and grappling they did today after their suspect, it was amazing that he could even move his hands.

"Yeah, Ariela. It's been a long day for us. I'll drive you home and we can work out a day where we can all hang out and show you around," Jane offered. Frost visibly breathed a sigh of relief at that suggestion.

"Oh! I forgot you guys were out closing a case. Rain check on hanging out, but, yes to the ride," Ariela replied with a smile.

The group disbanded and Jane gave Ariela a ride home. Once Jane made it home, she resisted the urge to call Maura again. She did not want to disrupt, especially if Maura's date was ending the way that her dates usually did when they made it back to her place. Sighing, she crawled into bed, wondering what Maura was doing. Part of her hoped it was not what she thought Maura was doing with Alistair in her home and she was not sure why she had that hope.

"Okay, brain, time to stop thinking about that and just go to sleep," Jane ordered herself. Her brain had no choice but to listen because she was beyond exhausted.

-8-8-8-8-

"Goodnight, Maura," Alistair said, unable to keep the disappointed pout off of his face as he stood on the outside of the doctor's home.

"Goodnight, Alistair. I had a great night," she tried to assure him.

"That's good," he replied, but there seemed to be some hurt in his eyes. She did not understand why. She was being truthful in the fact that she had a good time.

"Thank you," she told him and leaned in to give him a goodnight kiss.

He returned the kiss, which was a gentle press of their lips. He attempted to deepen it, but she was not in the mood for such, so she pulled away. He frowned a bit, but she did not stop to analyze why, closing the door before he made it to his car. She retreated to her bedroom, not even thinking about Alistair. While she had a good time with him, she had been thinking about Jane at the Dirty Robber for the entire night. She wished that she had gone to have a drink with everyone and wondered how they were.

"I wonder what Jane's doing. It's a bit late, so I suppose she'd be asleep and I don't want to disturb her," Maura sighed and she tuned out the light in her bedroom. She would try to spend time with Jane tomorrow. Time outside of work. At least then, she would be able to show Jane that she was getting back to normal and she was able to carry on a healthy relationship with a man again. _Well, somewhat normal_. She shook that thought away, determined to clear her head of Alistair. _I am back to normal and I will show that to Jane_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: things don't go according to plan.


	5. Friends like these

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though. I also don't own the Simpsons, which get mentioned.

5: Friends like these

"I think you put my eye out!" Frost hollered, hand over said body part. Jane and Ariela snickered behind him. They were walking into the lobby of the paintball arena that they had spent the day in. They all dressed casually with Ariela wearing a Dodgers' jersey just to get on Jane's nerves, which did not work since Jane knew the lawyer was completely oblivious to the great American pastime.

"Will you quit whining, you little drama queen! You were wearing goggles!" Jane pointed out with a loud laugh. She supposed it would not be a good idea to confirm Frost's suspicions that she shot at his eye on purpose. She just wanted to prove the goggles were good … and maybe to shake her partner up a little bit since he was bragging about how great he was at paintball.

"You could've blinded me!" Frost huffed, blinking both eyes incredibly hard.

"You were wearing goggles, you big baby! You said you like paintball!" Ariela said, still chuckling. Frost reeled back, appearing quite insulted that the ADA was insulting him. Jane was far from surprised by it considering Ariela had been teasing him the whole time, even though she was by far the worst of them at the game.

They had just finished a couple of paintball sessions. Korsak had not come along, knowing all too well how much the paint balls hurt, but he had joined them for a couple of other outings in an attempt to get to know the new ADA better. Ariela seemed to like the two men well enough and they liked her. She seemed happy and tried to invite all the detectives out almost every day. Jane suspected that Ariela still had not made any close friends, not that she needed any with the detectives around since they almost always agreed to go out with her, as long as work allowed it anyway.

"You know he said it with one of those stupid macho smirks," Jane just realized when they asked her partner about going out to play paintball. "Frost, please tell me you did not say you like paintball just to impress Ariela!"

Frost glared at her with his "good" eye and made that stupid face of his that screamed, "My denial is a huge lie!" She sighed before he even said no. Ariela's face softened and she reached up to put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, Detective Frost, I'm flattered. I really am. I mean, you're cute," Ariela said and that miraculously cured Frost's eye. He also visibly preened, which made her face soften more and her chocolate eyes apologized for having to break his little heart. "I'm a lesbian."

He blinked and shook his head. "Wait, what?" His mouth dropped open after he managed to shove those words out of his mouth.

"Maybe you should've told him you're Mexican first," Jane joked and Ariela barely managed to hold in a snicker.

"He know that already and he knew I'm a Lakers fan. Hell, I couldn't even pull an 'I'm from LA" on him first. I couldn't really cushion the blow here," Ariela remarked. She then offered Frost a sad smile. "You're a great guy and if I liked guys, I'd give you a chance. I mean, you're very fun to be around and you're really smart and rather debonair. And, of course, you're damned cute." She smiled brightly as if to emphasize her words, especially the ones she repeated.

Jane groaned. "Oh, god, just stop or there'll be no living with him after this."

Frost cleared his throat and blushed while straightening out. "I was hoping those were just rumors by guys who can be assholes."

Ariela laughed. "Oh, no, they are assholes and rumors because I haven't told any of them about me, but I am gay. I haven't outright said it to anyone but you and Jane as far as work goes, but I'm out, so don't worry if you tell someone. In fact, maybe we should all start telling people because I'm starting to get sick of guys both in my office and at the station trying to date me."

"Damn," Frost pouted and shook his head. He then looked up with an utterly disturbed expression, glancing between the two women. "I'm not a third wheel on your date, right?"

"Frost!" Jane barked and she punched him in the shoulder. _I am not gay!_

The younger detective flinched and held the assaulted area. "Ow!"

"I'm not gay," Jane huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Are you kidding me? Of course, you're gay. You caught it from me when I sneezed," Ariela joked.

"Really? I thought that was the flu," Jane chimed in.

"No, totally homosexuality. You're now a lesbian," Ariela stated.

"Shit, do I still owe you a toaster oven then because this seems like cheating on the conversion," Jane remarked.

Frost squinted as he eyed them and then shook his head. "You two are weird."

"Now, that might really be contagious," the female detective quipped as she had noticed her sense of humor drifted more toward Ariela's when she was around the ADA. She silently vowed to shoot herself in the face the second she asked, "Is it because I'm Italian?"

"So, we're cool?" Ariela asked Frost with hope in her voice and in her eyes.

"Yeah, we're cool. I don't have a problem with you being a lesbian, even if you were dating Jane," he remarked with an impish smile.

"Hey!" Jane shoved him hard, pushing him a few feet away.

"What?" Frost laughed. "I'm just saying you've got to be a tough girlfriend for probably anybody but Doctor Isles. The doc has you on lock." He chuckled some more and then a puzzled expression settled on his face. "Speaking of the doc, she didn't want to come?"

Jane snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "Mr. Burns took her to some museum opening."

"Excellent," Frost quipped, tapping his fingertips together with a momentary dark look in his eyes. He had easily fallen into step with Jane as soon as he found out Maura's boyfriend's name. Maura still did not get the joke and Jane kept meaning to show her an episode of the Simpsons, but they never seemed to have the time for it.

"And just so you know Maura does not have me on lock," Jane objected.

Frost scoffed and leaned closer to Ariela. "Doctor Isles can make big bad Detective Rizzoli apologize," he whispered sotta voce.

Ariela feigned a shocked gasped. "No! Jane, you are so whipped!" She then had to make a whipped motion and noise with it.

"I am not and don't say that around the station. They already swear me and Maura are a married couple," Jane said.

"Maura and I," Ariela corrected, just to be an ass if her smile meant anything.

"Shut up!" Jane shoved the lawyer.

"The doc can also correct Jane without fear of serious injury," Frost remarked with an impish smile, showing off his dimples. "Now that I think about, I don't think the doc ever has to worry about being shoved or punched or anything like that."

"Maybe they are married and that would be domestic violence and Detective Rizzoli isn't interested in jail time," Ariela pointed out with her own devilish grin.

"Oh, just shut up! Let's go eat something. I'm starving," Jane proclaimed. Her companions laughed and agreed as they had worked up an appetite shooting each other and others all afternoon.

Jane did glance at her partner every now and then, troubled by his words._ Where the hell is all of this "on lock" bullshit coming from Frost?_ Jane decided not to think too much on it, considering that Frost might have just been trying to make Ariela comfortable and show that he was open-minded. She was just going to make sure he did not joke around with anyone else like that because others might not know he was joking. It was bad enough these were tons of rumors about her and Maura, but she did not want her partner unintentionally adding to them.

On a positive note, she noted how contented Ariela was while they were at lunch. Ariela and Frost laughed and joked together. Frost seemed happy, too. She was certain that they were going to be getting on her nerves a lot more now. But, for some reason, she laughed right along with them.

-8-8-8-8-

"I had a wonderful time, Alistair," Maura said to her boyfriend, smiling softly at him.

They were standing in front of her door and all she could think about was going inside and escaping her shoes. No amount of cushion or gel could make feet happy if they were confined to high heels for the better part of fourteen hours, especially if most of that time was spent wandering a museum. _What was I thinking?_ To be honest, it was more like both she and Alistair wanted to see everything and then he had to stop and talk to people about exhibits. She supposed had she said something about her feet, he would have insisted they leave, but she suffered in silence, as she tended to when Jane was not there to push her to stand up for herself.

"I'm always glad that I can show an angel like you a good time." He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. "It was a joy for me just to be able to gaze upon you in that dress," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss to her pulse.

She felt a hot blush rush to her face. She did not understand her reaction as she had heard such lines before. _Perhaps because it feels like more than just a line from him_. Things always seemed to have meaning from him, but she still could not take the next step with him. Sexual intercourse now had a different meaning to her and she could not cross that line with him. It did not help matters that while he could make her blush, he had yet to get her blood boiling in the right way. She felt like the time had to be right and she had to be absolutely certain about her feelings for him.

"May I come in?" he requested in a low voice, kissing her once more.

While she had allowed him entrance into her home several times, she was not in the mood right now. She just waited out of her shoes and hopefully a chance to speak with Jane. She had not seen Jane all day and wanted to at least hear her voice.

"I'm really tired," Maura said, stepping away from him.

Alistair gave her an expression of a hurt child. "I'm sorry I kept you out so long. I just wanted to be with you as long as possible and I didn't want to be rude to my friends when they invited us to dinner."

Maura sighed, not wanting to think about dinner. She had been rather uncomfortable with sitting with Alistair's friends. She did not do well with strangers, even though she could fake it quite well.

"You were wonderful at dinner, too," he commented, which she expected.

"It was nice meeting your friends," she told him. It was to a degree, but she would have preferred it not being so sudden. They had run into his friends at the museum and spent the rest of the night with them.

"I still want to be with you for as long as possible."

"Yes, that would be nice, but I need to sleep. I have to work in the morning," she reminded him. She felt like he was trying to ask for more than their usual nightcap of wine and she was not going to allow that. She truly was tired and wanted sleep, alone.

He pouted. "Yes, you do. We should play hooky one day."

Her brow wrinkled and she looked aghast by the suggestion. "I don't play hooky and I really need to go to sleep. I will see you later."

"All right. I'm sorry if I seemed pushy, but I really do like spending time with you. I like being with you so much."

Maura sighed. "It's all right. I like spending time with you, too, but I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow." _Why did I agree to another date? I see him almost every day now and, yes, we often have a wonderful time together, there's something … I don't know, just off_. She considered her thoughts could be because she had never really dated someone as she was doing with Alistair, not even her former fiancé. She had no point of reference for what she was doing with her boyfriend.

He offered her an adorable smile. "All right. Don't forget about the party this weekend."

She bit back a frown because she did not forget things. She did not say anything more beyond a farewell and slipped into the house. She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she was on the other side of the door. Her shoes were off in an instant and she moaned.

"That should not feel that good," she muttered, shaking her head. "Jane would not believe how happy I am to get out of my shoes. I can hardly believe it."

She went to take a shower to wash away her exhaustion. After she went through her nightly routines, she crawled into bed. She wanted to call Jane, but looking at the time she was not sure if that was a good idea. But, her fingers began dialing her best friend without her permission.

"Hey, Maura," Jane greeted her in that gruff tone that the doctor found herself missing.

"Hello, Jane." Maura was not sure what to say after that because she had not expected to call Jane. She suspected that she woke the detective from her sleep, but she was not very sorry. Something inside of her, something that was probably her soul, felt soothed and warmed by the sound of Jane's voice.

"Sup? How's everything going? How was your day?" It almost sounded like Jane was eager to speak with her and her heart fluttered at the thought.

Maura smiled. "A delight, though a little long. We met up with some of his friends and ended up going to dinner with them. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, both socially and physically. My feet hurt," she reported with a laugh.

Jane laughed. "Well, you definitely wouldn't have been happy with us then. Frost whined the whole time."

"Were you being mean to him?" the tone was somewhat playful and scolding at the same time.

"What? No! He was just whining and you can't just let that stuff go. He actually was trying to use paintball to show Ariela that he's cool."

"Oh." Maura smiled. "Did it work?"

"Uh … no. Definitely not."

"Well, why not? Detective Frost is quite the catch. Intelligent, sophisticated, handsome."

"Wow, you actually sound just like Ariela. Maura, are you planning to date Frost," Jane teased.

"Of course not. I'm merely listing the qualities that would make Detective Frost attractive to women, qualifies that the assistant district attorney should consider. From your words, it actually sounds like she has planned to date him."

Jane chuckled. "He doesn't have some key qualities she looks for in a date."

"Oh, really? What is it that he could be lacking? He's quite the gentleman and a wonderful person and you said that she agreed with that. Why would she not want to date him?"

"He doesn't have a decent pair of tits for one," Jane answered with a snicker.

Maura blinked and shook her head. "What?"

The detective laughed again. "Never mind. It's not really my place to explain. You should come with us next time we do something. You'd have had fun doing paintball."

Maura settled her head on her pillows. "I've never considered."

Her best friend snorted. "I bet you haven't, but you still would've had fun. I tried to tell you to come, but you had already made plans with Mr. Burns. I really think you'd have had fun with us, even though you probably would've complained about how much the paintballs hurt."

"Maybe I'll come with you on your next outing." As soon as the words left her mouth, Maura realized that she wanted nothing more than to that. Her heart beat heavily in her chest and she longed to touch Jane, to be with Jane. "I miss you, Jane," she blurted out.

"You just saw me at work."

"It's not the same."

"No, it's not. I missed you, too." She could hear the smile In Jane's voice, which made her smile, too. "You're always welcomed to come hang out, Maura. You'd have fun."

Maura found herself nodding, even though Jane could not see. "I would like that. I miss spending time with you."

"I know the feeling." Jane paused and yawned. The sound made Maura feel guilty and selfish because she really wanted to continue speaking with her best friend.

"Oh, Jane, you should get to sleep." They never knew when they would be called for a case and she knew Jane would work it to her fullest, even if she was not at full strength.

"I will, but let's talk for a while." That statement made Maura grin in sheer delight and she probably would have gone off into some magnificent daydream if only Jane's voice did not keep her firmly rooted in reality. "We might not be able to talk at work. Tell me about your dinner. What happened?"

Maura smiled and went into what happened when she met Alistair's friends. They were charming and cultured, much like Alistair. The conversation had flowed about a variety of topics that she was able to keep up and add to, even if at some points she knew that she was rambling.

"Did the Red Sox come up, so you could show them how you know all the rules and facts?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

"Unfortunately, no that didn't come up," she seriously pouted. She would have enjoyed showing off the knowledge Jane had passed onto her about baseball.

"Can't trust a group that doesn't talk about the Sox with spring training a few weeks away," Jane joked.

The honey-blond smiled. She wanted to watch more baseball games with Jane, so she looked forward to spring training. Jane always introduced her to things that she liked, but never would have thought to try on her own. She had not been doing that lately. Alistair always took her places that she would eventually drag Jane to if they had enough time or had already dragged Jane to several times in the past. _Maybe I would like paintball_.

They spoke for a while longer, but when Jane yawned again, Maura knew it was time to go to bed. They said goodnight and hung up. _I should go out with Jane soon. I don't want us to drift apart_.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane was texting at her desk. Frost was staring at her, waiting for her to let him know what they were doing. Jane taunted him with immature faces. He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"She says bowling, tomorrow," Jane informed him.

He frowned. "Can't go. What's wrong with tonight?"

"She's only preparing for a murder trial," Jane remarked, giving him a "duh" face.

"And she won't be doing that tomorrow?" he inquired with a furrowed forehead.

"No, she's doing –" Jane a face as she stopped herself. "Why the hell am I explaining this to you? She can't go today and you can't go tomorrow. We're going bowling tomorrow. What are you doing?"

"Minding my business," he answered with one of his "mack" smiles.

"Just don't catch an STD while minding your business," she told him.

He snorted, but kept smiling. Jane ignored him and then texted Maura to see if the pathologist wanted to go bowling tomorrow. Maura texted back that she had a function with Alistair and could not make it bowling. A frown spread across Jane's face as she read the message. _Fuck you, Burns, gimme my Maura back_.

"What's with the face, Jane?" Frost inquired.

"Huh?" Jane blinked and then shook her head. "Oh, nothing. We're gonna go bowling without you."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it now?" he teased.

"Shut up!"

Jane did not let Frost get to her. She went down to the morgue to visit Maura and try to convince her to go bowling. Maura was already packing up, even though they did not officially get off for another hour. She smiled, even though she wished Maura was not rushing out.

"Jane!" Maura's face lit up and Jane felt her heart jump at the mere sound of her name. The organ pounded when she noted Maura's expression. The detective ignored the feeling.

"Hey, Maura, cutting out already?" Jane asked with a pout.

Maura mirrored the expression. "Yes, I will be leaving shortly. Alistair invited me to dinner before our scheduled date."

"Gee, don't sound so excited," Jane said sarcastically.

Maura gasped and her eyes went wide. "Oh, I didn't mean it come out that way. I am excited to see Alistair, as always. I just miss you."

"Then ditch him tomorrow and come bowling with us," Jane replied and hoped that she did not sound as desperate as she thought she did.

"I can't do that, Jane. It's an office party for him and he's already told everyone that he would bring me."

"So?"

"I can't just break an engagement with him, especially after he's told me how important this is to him. I couldn't do that to him, just as I'd never do it to you."

"I know, Maura. You're so noble," Jane smiled proudly. _Noble to a fault_. "I just thought it'd be worth a try. I hope you have fun at the party. Text or call me if you need to."

The medical examiner smiled softly. "You know I will." Jane smiled and all too soon they were parting ways.

-8-8-8-8-

"Just us bowling? Boring! Why didn't you bring Doctor Isles?" Ariela asked as Jane setup the bowling screen.

"I tried. She has a thing with her boyfriend," the detective answered.

"She's out with him all the time. They must be so in love," Ariela cooed and Jane would not have been surprised to see hearts in her eyes. The detective had to use every ounce of self-control to keep from gagging.

"She really wanted to come, but she wouldn't bail on him, which is just like her. I tried to talk her into bailing actually," Jane replied.

Ariela scrunched her face up. "Why?"

"She's my best friend and I haven't seen enough of her lately. She's been out with Mr. Burns every spare moment that she has," Jane sneered as she spoke.

"Sounds like she likes him a lot."

"She does and that's cool, but I want to hang out with her, too. She'd have loved paintballing. I just realized I've never taken her bowling, so I have to do that with her." _We have so much to do, Maura, so why aren't you making time for me?_

Ariela regarded her with a tilt of her head. "You have to take her?"

"Yeah, I take her places. She takes me places that I wouldn't normally go and I do the same for her."

Ariela smiled softly. "That's nice. You guys are cool."

"I like to think we are."

"Tell me a bit about you guys," the lawyer requested.

Jane arched an eyebrow. The request seemed weird, but she supposed it came from the fact that Ariela still had not made any real friends in Boston beyond her and her partners. It did not matter anyway since Jane liked talking about Maura.

"We just chill out a lot of the time. She's got a sweet TV and we'd watch movies every weekend when we could. Sometimes after work, we'd just go have drinks or eat pizza at her place or mine. We never really did anything too big. I mean, every now and then she'd take me to some fancy place or some educational thing or I'd drag her to a baseball game or something. We just did stuff together." Jane shrugged.

Ariela nodded. "You two sound close."

"We need to find you a best friend."

"Yeah? And here it I was already giving you the job, but I guess Maura was here first," the lawyer remarked. "You don't share? Poly-best friends. Or is it a monogamous relationship?" She winked.

Jane snorted. "Shut up and bowl!"

Ariela chuckled as she stepped up to the lane. The laughter stopped as the ADA looked up and saw what Jane had entered for her name. She spun around and glared at the detective, who was doing her best impersonation of a cherubim.

"You're the fucking wench," Ariela huffed, a smile betraying her anger.

Jane could not help laughing. "Clearly you're the wench since it's your turn."

Ariela made a face at Jane, but she went to bowl as the arrow indicated it was "wench's" turn. As Jane waited her turn, she thought about bringing Maura bowling. _She'd probably freak about having to put on shoes someone else has worn and she definitely use a kiddie throw the first couple of times_. She tried to think of nicknames that she would put on the board for Maura. A smile spread across her face as she considered how Maura would play her first game.

"Hey, Lucky Charms, it's your go," Ariela said, snapping her fingers in front of Jane's face.

Jane came back to reality. "Oh!" She did not comment on the lawyer's nickname that was probably in reference to the green ball that she was using.

Ariela looked concerned. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just what stupid name I'd put up for Maura when I take her bowling. Nothing much," Jane answered with a shrug.

Ariela regarded her as if studying her, but she did not say anything. Jane shrugged it off and went to bowl her turn since the arrow indicated it was "awesome's" time to bowl. Holding the ball properly hurt her left hand, but she did not show it. She let the heavy ball fly and knocked down six pins, which made her groan. On her second go, she took out three more.

Ariela grinned like a demon. "We've finally found something that I can win!"

Jane groaned, but she supposed that she could not win everything, especially not something that bothered her hands. She could only imagine how insufferable Ariela would be once she won at something. _I wonder how my other sometimes-insufferable best friend is doing_.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura smiled as Alistair put his hand around her waist for what felt like the millionth time. Of course, it had not been nearly that many, but his gentle tugs to bring her to meet new people made it seem like more for some reason. _Maybe because I'd rather be bowling with Jane_. She shook that thought away to pay attention to all of the people that Alistair introduced her to. She remembered all of their names with no problem and could engage them for short moments, which was all she seemed to have time for before Alistair pulled her away to meet someone else.

"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Doctor Maura Isles," he said to almost every person that they came across. There was dear pride in his voice and he practically glowed while standing near her. It was incredibly flattering, but still she thought of Jane and bowling.

"A pleasure to meet you." Maura extended her hand for what felt like the thousandth time. Her voice was dead now and she cleared her throat to bring it back to normal.

Alistair blinked and glanced down at her. "Are you all right? Is all of the glad handing finally getting to you?"

She forced a smile to her face. "Oh, no. I'm fine. I was just thinking about bowling."

He blinked. "Bowling?"

"Yes, I've never been. Jane went tonight and I was just thinking about that."

Briefly, he frowned and she wondered why. The expression was gone in less than a second, though. "You probably wouldn't enjoy it. It's very low brow."

Maura wondered why he would say that, but she did not get a chance to ask because he found more people to introduce to her. She sighed, but put on her best smile on. _Jane says I'd like bowling. I'd like to try_. That thought stayed on her mind, but she did not bring the topic up again since it was clear where Alistair stood on the subject. _Perhaps Jane will go again and I can accompany here then_. That thought brought a real smile to her face and helped her make it through the night.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Maura gets caught drinking alone while Jane thinks that Maura has made a decision on whom she'd rather be with.


	6. Wine

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

6: Wine

Jane sighed as Ariela followed her into the Division One café. Meeting Ariela outside the station before she had a chance to get coffee in her system was not her ideal way to start the day, especially after finding out that Ariela was a morning person. _Dear god, kill me now_.

"We should totally go skiing before it's too late," Ariela begged, sounding just a little hyper, which let Jane know that the lawyer had her coffee sometime earlier that morning.

"I'm not going skiing. It's not happening," Jane told her for the umpteenth time with a frown. She waved a little to her mother, who was behind the counter.

Angela waved back. "Jane, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

Jane growled. The last thing she needed to do was introduce one annoyance in her life to another. After all, having introduced Ariela to Frost had only served to irritate her most of the time. Still, if she did not do it, the pair would just introduce themselves and then she would have to listen to how rude she was from both of them.

"Ma, this is Assistant District Attorney Ariela Ortiz. Ariela, this is my mother, Angela Rizzoli," Jane deadpanned before moving to go get her coffee.

Ariela squealed like a fan girl for some reason. "Oh, my god, Missus Rizzoli, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I can't even begin to tell you how good your daughter's been to me since I arrived in Boston."

Angela smiled. "Well, it's good to know that she can be good to some people."

"Really, Ma?" Jane sighed and frowned even more. She did not get a chance to say more or even finish fixing her coffee as her phone went off. "Shit," she hissed as she answered the phone. "Rizzoli?" She nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She turned to her mother and Ariela. "I've got a case. You two try not to get along," she ordered quite seriously. She finished pouring her coffee and then rushed off.

"Guess I'm paying for that," Ariela remarked, pointing her thumb at the retreating detective. "I guess I'll take a donut with the coffee that just left." Angela chuckled and nodded.

-8-8-8-8-

"Is that Ariela texting you?" Korsak asked Jane as they were leaning over a body in a dark, blood splattered living room. Jane's cell phone buzzed, which caused both of her partners and Maura to stare at her.

"Yeah, she wants to go skiing." Jane scoffed. "It'll be a cold day in Hell she gets me on the slopes."

"What? We could have fun. Let's go," Frost insisted.

"No! I already told her no and now I'm telling you no. No," Jane stated firmly. "Now, can we focus on the guy that was beaten to death with a baseball bat?" she guessed while pointing to the body.

All eyes went to Doctor Isles, who did not notice. She was too busy processing the idea that someone wanted to take Jane skiing and she was not that someone. A pain settled in her chest and hurt her ribs. She was about to rub the center of her chest with the hope of soothing it away, but she recalled that she was at a crime scene.

"So, Maura, is this a guy and was he beaten with a baseball bat?" Jane inquired.

Maura blinked and realized that her friend was speaking to her. "It's too soon to say –" She was cut off by Jane's phone buzzing.

Jane groaned. "She is seriously like the world's most annoying ADA."

"Then just go skiing. You know she'll bug you until you give anyway," Korsak pointed out.

"Oh, but I don't hear you volunteering to go," Jane retorted.

Korsak scoffed. "I don't ski. You and Frost can handle this one. Call me when we're going beer tasting again or we're going to tackle that giant burger challenge for the third time."

"We're not doing that again. Nobody wants to watch you throw up for the third time," Frost argued.

"Look who's taking, Mr. 'what's type of bacon is this'?" Korsak retorted in a whiny voice.

Maura had to swallow a whimper. She had no clue what her friends were discussing. She had to decline beer tasting when they went because Alistair wanted to go to a gallery opening, which she felt she would have enjoyed more if Jane were there. In fact, she had pointed out many things that Jane would have liked while she was there. She was not even sure what the "giant burger challenge" was. The agony in her chest spread like cancer as she considered she might not have been invited to that.

"Victim appears to be male," Maura blurted out, if only to get the detectives' attention and to stop the conversation that let her know that she was losing her friends. Worst of all, she was losing Jane if the frequency of her phone going off meant anything.

The Medical examiner's tactic worked and the detectives turned their focus back to their body. They were able to concentrate on their jobs until Jane's phone went off again. The lanky brunette sucked her teeth and pulled her gloves off before looking at her phone.

"Oh," Jane mumbled, looking surprised.

"What? It's not Ariela being annoying?" Korsak asked with a warm smile and a shine in his eyes. Despite his words, he clearly liked Ariela.

"No, it's her and the first one was her being annoying, but this one and the other one have to do with a case." Jane typed a reply.

"Do you have to testify soon?" Maura inquired. Her stomach bubbled and she recognized anxiety was clawing its way into her throat. She was not sure why she felt such an emotion, but it was there, gnawing at her. She just hoped that the reason the ADA was texting Jane so often was work related.

"No, she wanted to knew who to chew out for missing prints. Apparently, she's got to try a case and some of the evidence is missing," Jane explained.

"That sucks. She's going to go chew someone out in Spanglish," Frost remarked with a light chuckle.

"The jackass'll deserve it," Korsak insisted. "Stuff like that makes us all look bad, so she better tear into the asshole to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The younger detectives agreed and then focused back on the body. Maura was able to work, if only to keep her from dwelling on how distant she was with her friends now. She did not know what they were talking about and she did not know nearly as much about the new ADA as they did. She felt like she was on the outside looking in. _The story of my life before I came here and now it's somehow happened even here. _The agony in her chest slowly spread and seeped into every part of her being, ripping into her like a million razors_._

Maura was not sure how she kept from crying, but she did. She was also not sure how she managed to keep at least half of her brain on her job, but she did that too. Of course, the other half of her brain was devoted to worrying over her friends. _I don't want to lose them. I especially don't want to lose Jane_. She had grown accustomed to having a best friend and the thought of being without her filled Maura with a sense of dread that she could barely comprehend. _Is this how the condemned feel?_ She felt like a void would open inside her and devour her if Jane was no longer in her life. It would be even worse as she would see Jane at work and be consistently reminded of what she lost.

She realized that she could not allow herself to lose Jane. That would truly be the worst thing to ever happen to her. She needed to figure out how to see more of Jane, but she could not risk losing Alistair. She liked him, but he also demonstrated that she was normal and Jane did not have to worry about her anymore. _I have to do something, though_.

Maura did not think of anything at the moment and refocused all of her energy on the body. All too soon, she was alone in the morgue with her patient and thoughts of her friends. She worked on autopilot almost while her mind wandered and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. _Are they making plans with ADA Ortiz? Are they going to invite me? I can go. I don't have plans with Alistair_.

An invite never came and Maura left for home with a heavy heart. She dragged herself into the house, wanting a whole bottle of wine for possibly the first time in her life. Kicking her shoes off, she curled onto the sofa with a glass of wine and the bottle close by for good measure. Halfway through the bottle, her back door opened and Angela entered.

"Maura, I made lasagna and figured you might want some. There's some for Jane for when she comes over," the Rizzoli matriarch announced and then gasped as she spotted Maura on the couch, guzzling her third glass of wine.

"Hello, Angela," Maura said and she could feel the slightly dopey smile on her face. _I should've eaten something before drinking all of this wine_.

"Maura, are you drunk?" Angela asked in shock.

"No, merely intoxicated. I foolishly began drinking before eating," the doctor explained, only slightly slurring. She did not have the presence of mind to be proud of that accomplishment.

Angela squinted and studied her. She stepped closer, putting down her lasagna pan on the counter, and continued gazing at Maura. The doctor squirmed a bit, wondering what was going through Angela's mind. For a moment, she thought that she could see pity in those soulful brown eyes, which saddened her more. _I don't want her pity. I don't want anyone's pity. I just want … I just want Jane_.

"No big date tonight?" Angela asked, glancing around as if she was looking for Alistair.

Maura laughed a bit, surprised that Angela had not come over just to find out why Maura was suddenly staying in. _Maybe the lasagna is a ruse to come in and look around_. She had been seeing Alistair so often that it felt like they were out every day, which was close to accurate considering her unpredictable schedule. She had not invited him in the last few times, so Angela had not had a chance to come over "accidentally" and meet him.

"No, Alistair had to work and I had no idea I would finish so early," Maura explained. In reality, she had not finished "early" because there was still much to be done, but she needed testing results before proceeding.

"Jane didn't come home with you?" Angela inquired in complete shock.

"Oh, no. She and Detective Frost are investigating a lead into our case." The good doctor did not go into detail, knowing that Jane and Frankie tried to keep their mother away from police work as best they could.

"Jane hasn't been around much lately," Angela casually mentioned, shrugging slightly.

"No, but I haven't been around much lately."

"No." Angela frowned and gazed around again. "It has been rather quiet around here. You really like Alistair, huh?"

Maura smiled, hoping it was not as dopey as before. Of course, she was sure that she was considering the fact that she was nodding like a fool, too. "I do. Jane says he might be the one for me. I like spending time with him outside and going to all sorts of activities with him, which isn't typical of any male I've been with."

Angela snorted and rolled her eyes. "You're taking dating advice from Jane, the woman who has never made it past a second date in her entire life? It takes more than enjoying spending time with someone and hanging out with them at a bunch activities. I mean, if that was all, you and Jane would've gotten married a long time ago, which might suit Jane because she'd have someone to pick up after her." She appeared quite thoughtful on the matter.

Maura chuckled. "I'm sure she'll find someone when she's ready."

Angela nodded. "I hope so. At the rate she's going, if I want grandchildren beyond Tommy junior, I'll have to give birth to them myself," she huffed a bit. "Hey, you want to watch a movie?"

"I'd love to," Maura grinned. _I'm not alone_.

"Let me heat you up some food first."

-8-8-8-8-

Jane practically fell into the café in desperate need of coffee once again. She and Frost had been out all night, grilling people in their victim's life and getting nowhere. Apparently everyone that ever met the guy had reason to want him dead.

"Jane!" she heard her mother's scolding voice behind her and decided not to turn around because it was too early in the morning to be reprimanded. Of course, her mother did not see it that way. "Jane, don't ignore me," Angela huffed, storming over in her usual hurricane Rizzoli fashion.

"I couldn't ignore you if you were on the moon when you act like this," Jane complained, silently beseeching the coffee gods to fill her cup faster.

"Where have you been lately?" Angela demanded, glaring at her daughter.

Jane's forehead wrinkled. "Uh … work," she answered with an unsure squint. _Maybe it's a trick question_.

"I mean after work!" her mother hissed.

"Home?" _Definitely a trick question_. _What the hell is going on?_

Her mother actually growled. "And?"

"And what? Ma, can you just say whatever it is? I'm working a case where everyone and their mother wanted the victim dead and I'm doing it on three hours of sleep on a busted couch upstairs and no coffee. So, what is it?"

"You left Maura all alone last night. In fact, you haven't been by the house in weeks. What's going on?"

Jane blinked for a long time before opening her eyes as wide as possible. "Nothing's going on. I'm trying to give Maura space to be with her guy, Mr. Burns. She really likes him and they go out all the time. I don't want to crowd her."

"I think she needs you to crowd her. I went over there last night and she was drinking alone."

Jane blinked again. It had to be the lack of coffee. It was making her hallucinate or at the very least mishear things. She decided to clear her ears, rubbing them with her knuckles. She then went back to her coffee because right now she felt like she needed it to live and keep her sanity.

"Jane!" Angela barked.

"Yeah?" Jane huffed, barely keeping from bellowing "What?"

"Didn't you hear me? Maura was drinking alone or don't you care?" her mother demanded.

"Maura was probably just having a glass of wine to unwind. Yesterday was no walk in the park for her either," Jane argued. She did not go into detail, but Maura had to deal with a body that had been beaten beyond recognition and stabbed over fifty times. She had spent hours at the scene just trying to find all of the victim's teeth.

Angela frowned. "Well, you're usually there to help her cope. What happened?"

"I had to interview witnesses and potential suspects. I told Maura to go home because I knew I'd be gone for a while after she ID'd the guy and we saw all of the people in his life. I figured she'd hang out with Alistair while waiting for test results to come in or something."

"Well, she didn't. I think she was lonely. You're supposed to be her best friend, so you should look into it, detective."

"You're making something out of nothing, I'm sure, Ma," Jane stated and turned her full attention back to her coffee. Of course, just in case her mother was not making something out of nothing, she made a mental note to go check on her best friend.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane frowned as she found herself in the morgue as soon as she was properly caffeinated because she was sure that Maura was fine and her mother was just being a busybody as always. She had ran out to buy one of those annoyingly complicated lattes that Maura loved so much, just in case she was feeling as down as her mother claimed. She found Maura bent over the body, scouring for more evidence.

"Hey, Maura. Found anything?" Jane asked.

Maura spun around to face Jane and smiled as the detective presented her with her latte. "Oh, thank you. And, yes, I have found something. The teeth have tool marks on them."

Jane grimaced at that implication. "So, they were pulled out instead of knocked out by the bat?"

"Yes, and this was done ante mortem."

"Like to torture him?" Jane asked incredulously.

"That would be a guess."

"Right, which you certainly don't do. Can your team figure out what made the tool marks?" the detective inquired.

Maura appeared thoughtful briefly. "They'll do their best. Have you narrowed down the suspect list?"

Jane snorted. "Yeah, from everybody who's ever come into contact with Mr. Groves to everybody who's ever come into contact with him and was in Boston for the past four days."

"That sounds like a rather wide suspect pool," Maura noted in her usual serious manner.

Jane smiled and realized that she missed her friend's sometimes oblivious nature. Well, really, she just missed Maura. She was happy that Maura was enjoying going out with Alistair and that Maura seemed to be better than normal nowadays, but she wanted to see her best friend outside of work.

"Hey, Maura, how about we watch some spring training once we close this case?" Jane suggested.

Maura offered her a sad smile and Jane knew the answer already. _Damn you, Alistair Burns!_ Jane put on a strong front as she braced for the worst.

"I'd love to, Jane, but I already agreed to see Alistair when we're done," Maura explained.

"I understand," Jane grunted, unable to totally control her voice. "I need to go upstairs and tell Frost about the teeth and possible torture." She had to get out of there before she betrayed her feelings toward Alistair and cause problems between her and Maura.

The good doctor nodded and Jane practically ran out of the morgue. She was trying to escape the torment now gnawing at her. Maura did not need her as her mother led her to believe. Maura needed Alistair. Maura _wanted_ Alistair. Jane had been cast aside. _Fuck you, Alistair Burns for taking her from me. Fuck you hard_.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura sighed as she watched what she assumed was an eager, but tired Jane fleeing her space. She would love to watch spring training with Jane, knowing it was one of Jane's favorite ways to relax. She also knew that Jane loved to pass on her knowledge of baseball and she loved to listen. Relaxing with Jane when the detective was in her element was something Maura cherished. It was precious because the detective did not let many people in, especially when it came to her space and baseball.

"But, I already told Alistair that I'd spend time with him and I should as he is my boyfriend," Maura told herself. The word "boyfriend" tasted odd on her tongue. She assumed it was because she never really had a boyfriend and she was deep into uncharted territory.

Shaking that thought away, Maura focused on her job. She tried to find as much evidence as the deceased could give up and whatever the killer left behind. They would solve the case, she silently vowed, if only to make sure Jane caught up on spring training.

-8-8-8-8-

The case was solved within three days. Maura found herself at a gallery opening with Alistair, but her thoughts were on spring training and Jane. She was drawn from her thoughts as Alistair's arm went around her waist. She almost flinched, but managed to keep control of her body.

"My mother would enjoy this place," the medical examiner said, if only to cover up the fact that she almost jumped away from him.

He smiled. "The great conceptual artist, Constance Isles. I'd love to meet her."

"She's out of the country right now." She had yet to tell him that her mother was recovering from a car accident that had nearly killed Constance, but had been meant to kill her. She was not sure why she withheld the information, but she just did not mention it.

"That is a pity, but one day, right?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Maybe. I'm not sure when she plans to be in the country again," she said and watched as his whole demeanor dropped.

"I would like to meet your family and for you to meet mine."

Maura nodded, knowing from studies that this was a way for couples to show that they were serious about their relationship. _Am I serious about Alistair? He is very different from other men I've been with. I enjoy being around him, spending time with him, and talking with him. He seems to reciprocate those emotions_.

It honestly did not matter how serious she was about Alistair, though, because it was very unlikely that he would met her family anytime soon. She knew that her father would be off on one of his digs as soon as her mother was fit to be on her own. She was not sure what her mother would do, but she doubted that Constance would be back in the country for rest of the year.

"Would you like to meet Jane?" she offered. She would be able to show Jane that she was fine now and show Alistair that he was important to her and she was serious about him.

He blinked, as if thrown by her suggestion, and his face scrunched up. For a moment, she thought that he frowned, but he covered that up with a chuckle. "No, Maura, I'm fine with waiting until your parents are in the country."

Now, she was confused. Her parents and Jane had nothing to do with each other. It was more important to her that Jane approved of the relationship than anyone else … although, she was not totally sure that she wanted Jane to approve. The idea of Jane agreeing that she should stay in a relationship with Alistair caused her stomach to drop. She also felt dizzy, but she did not have a chance to analyze her reaction as Alistair pulled her away to view more paintings.

"What do you think of this piece? I'd probably hang it above my sofa," Alistair said, motioning to the abstract painting in front of them.

Maura studied the painting while trying to remember what Alistair's condo looked liked like. She had only been to his place a couple of times because the last time that she was there, he hinted that he wanted her to stay. She had not slept with him yet and honestly had not had an inkling to do so. As much as she liked spending time with him, he had yet to spark anything inside of her that made her desire to have him in her bed.

"I don't think these colors would suit your home," Maura answered in a somewhat muted tone.

Alistair stared down at her. "Maura, are you all right?"

"I believe so. Why do you ask?"

"You're usually much more enthused by these outings and you don't look well right how. Come, I'll take you home. I should've left you to rest instead of dragging you out the first free moment that you've had. That was terribly selfish of me."

Maura really did not want to be there, so she did not protest. She let Alistair drive her home and managed to feign a yawn to avoid having him ask if he could come in. He took the hint, kissed her goodnight, and left her to her own devices.

Sighing in relief, Maura fed Bass and changed out of her gala clothes for more comfortable yoga pants and a baseball shirt that Jane had left there long ago. She rubbed the sleeves of the worn shirt and smiled a bit as a blissful warmth seemed to seep into her from the cloth. She was about to pour a glass of wine and curl up on the couch, but she realized none of that sounded appealing to do by herself.

"I want to see spring training," she whispered, as if it were a secret. Her heart fluttered at the thought and memory of lounging on Jane's couch with Jane, who would spend the night rambling about the Red Sox in that excited tone that made Maura's heart swell and always kept a smile on her face.

She did not bother to change since she was just going to Jane's. She did grab the bottle of wine since she was going to Jane's and her coat. She was at Jane's apartment in record time, but as she stood at the door, she found herself unable to knock. She could hear voices inside, female voices. She was about to turn away, but her hand knocked without permission from her brain.

"It's probably my neighbors telling me to just strangle the loud Spanish chick already," she heard Jane speculate.

"You're louder than I am!" a familiar voice objected.

"Because you're violating the sanctity of the greatest sport of Earth!"

"There's too many rules and I don't get it and why is it so long and we should just watch something else!"

The door finally opened, revealing Jane in a Red Sox t-shirt and sweatpants. She appeared confused for an instant, which made Maura feel like her insides were grinding against each other. She was about to apologize for interrupting Jane's night and run home, car be damned. But, then Jane's face lit up with a bright grin.

"Hey, Maura! Finally, someone that appreciates the great sport of baseball!" Jane wasted no time ushering Maura into the apartment.

Maura saw ADA Ortiz sitting on Jane's couch, a beer in hand and a happy smile on her face that did not match the yelling Maura heard through the door. The lawyer jumped to her feet as Maura stood before her and offered the doctor a friendly hand. Maura shook her hand as nervousness bubbled into her stomach. _Am I disturbing something? _After all, the lawyer was in Jane's sanctuary, watching something that was practically holy to Jane and Jane did not invite many people to share her sacred sport with her.

"Have a seat, Maura," Jane insisted, still smiling, which put Maura at ease.

Maura nodded. "I brought wine," she blurted out. _Oh, god, I have to calm down. Jane doesn't seem to mind me here and ADA Ortiz doesn't seem bothered. I'm sure nothing is going on here_.

"Cool, since I know you like that with pizza, anyway, which should be here in ten minutes."

The honey-blond's forehead wrinkled. "You ordered pizza? But, I only eat …"

"Veggie lover's from Aldo's. I know. I gotcha covered," Jane proclaimed.

Maura drew back in surprise. "You ordered my pizza, even though I told you I had plans with Alistair?" Flattered did not begin to cover how she felt about that.

"I had hope. Don't question it. You're here now and you've got food coming. Now, sit down so we can teach this uncultured wench about the fine art of baseball." Jane motioned to the attorney, who made a face at Jane.

Maura was not sure what to make of the interaction between the pair. She was also not sure what to make of Jane, who sat in the middle between Maura and Ariela. Jane hated being in the middle, but Maura considered that Jane did it too keep Maura and Ariela from feeling uncomfortable since this was their first time around each other in a less than professional capacity.

"All right, now where were we," Jane said to the ADA.

"I was threatening to kill you if you try to convert me to any Boston teams. I'm an LA girl!" Ariela declared.

"An LA girl living in Boston! You will root for the Red Sox," Jane decreed. "Don't make me spend your pizza back."

"That's worse than your threats to make me a Red Sox fan!"

Maura watched the banter between them, which went on for a while. She was not sure what to make of it beyond it let her know Jane and Ariela were close, which she already gathered just from Ariela being there. The conversation reminded her of Jane and Frankie going back and forth, which made her feel a little better about Ariela. Of course, that only made her realize that the ADA bothered her a bit, but she did not dwell on it.

She did not interrupt the discussion, if it could be called that, between Jane and Ariela. She shifted a bit every time Ariela reached out and touched Jane, even if it was just to pretend strangle the detective. She was unaware of a scowl that settled on her face every time the pair laughed, but she tended to catch it and remove it just in time whenever Jane turned to say something to her.

"You know a lot about baseball?" Ariela asked Maura.

"Some. Jane is still teaching me," Maura answered, doing her best to sound as friendly as the attorney did, but she could tell that she was not quite pulling it off. If anything, she sounded distant and forced.

"Maura tends to actually be a good student," Jane remarked. Maura could not believe that she actually preened from such a simply compliment. "She doesn't complain and whine like some other people I won't mention."

"She probably just cares about your feelings, but I don't," Ariela stated rather bluntly. Maura was stunned by the words, but realized they were in jest as Jane laughed and lightly punched Ariela. For some reason, the exchange made Maura's frown return.

When the pizza arrived, Jane opened Maura's wine and shared a glass with her, even though Jane preferred beer with her pizza. Ariela had opted on beer with her food.

"You two are too rich for my blood," Ariela remarked with a laugh.

Maura smiled politely, but was happy that the lawyer had not joined them. Pizza and wine was her thing with Jane. If she could not have spring training anymore, at least she had that. Sometime during the night, after food and baseball, Maura made use of something else that she shared with Jane – being the only person on Earth could use Jane as a pillow. Apparently, she was more tired than she realized and she drifted into a comfortable slumber against the only person she really wanted to sleep next to.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Ariela makes an observation that Jane doesn't take kindly to, but Ariela pesters her about it.


	7. Famous last words

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

7: Famous last words

Jane was lounging in her living room with Ariela. The detective had been forced to take a day off after three hard cases. She really had not wanted the day, especially when she found out that Maura did not have the day off, not that she expected Maura to spend the day with her. Honestly, she was happy that Maura was back in the saddle and Dennis had not destroyed her ability to find love, but she did miss her best friend.

Ariela had the day off and the pair decided to hang out together. Ariela was still begging for a real tour of Boston, considering the fact that she had only seen places once it was decided that was where they were going to spend the day. Jane agreed to give the lawyer a "real tour," whatever the hell that meant, but it would seem that the storm gods had other ideas. A sudden and heavy thunderstorm kept them inside.

"It's really coming down out there," Ariela commented from her space on the floor. She had dropped down there when Jane collapsed on the sofa. Jane was kind enough to give her a pillow, even though she had been pretending to smother Ariela with it at first.

"It doesn't rain out in Hollywood?" Jane teased.

"Haven't you heard the song?" Ariela countered.

"If Maura was here she'd be able to tell me the accuracy of that song, so I'd know if that was a legitimate answer."

Ariela sighed dramatically. "But, alas, your precious Doctor Isles isn't here, so you'll just have to take the song's word for it."

Jane sighed seriously and rubbed her forehead. "Maybe I could go see her today after work. She can't be with that Burns jackass all the time, right?"

"Is he not good to her?" Ariela asked thoughtfully, craning her neck a bit to see the detective.

Jane's eyes went wide and her forehead furrowed. "What?"

"Her boyfriend. Whenever you bring him up, there's animosity in your tone and you never say his name. It's always the mocking 'Mr. Burns' or just Burns. And, right now, you just called him a jackass, so I'm wondering if this man is not good to Doctor Isles," Ariela explained.

Jane sighed and shook her head. "No, he's great if you ask Maura about him. He takes her to a bunch of cultural things that I'd never think to take her to. He likes when she spouts out random trivia, which I can understand, even though I act like it annoys me sometimes. He respects her and hasn't pushed her into anything, which is something she totally needs. Best of all, he's not some psycho and even gives to charity every so often. So, I guess he's a good guy."

"Then why do you act like he sucks?" the question sounded one part curiosity and one part accusing.

Jane decided to stop that before Ariela got to whatever point she wanted to make. "I don't!"

The lawyer sat up for a moment, as if it would help make her point. "You do. You rarely bring him up and then when you do it's some complaint or put down. He sounds like a nice guy, so why don't you like him?"

"I don't _not_ like him. I don't even know him."

"And yet you hate him. Why is that?" Ariela pressed with an arched ebony eyebrow.

Jane glared down at her friend. "I don't hate him. Where the hell is this coming from?"

Ariela gave a shrug that was much too innocent to be the truth. "I'm just curious. _Porque_…" She stopped herself as she realized that she was about to start speaking Spanish. She slipped languages every now and then because she was used to speaking Spanish in casual settings. "Why do you get so upset when you talk about him then? I don't understand. Your best friend has a man that treats her right and that she's happy with. You should be happy for her."

"I am happy for her!" Jane barked, throwing her hands up in frustration. "It's great that she's finally met a guy that gets her! A guy that wants her for more than her body and a guy she wants for more than his body! It's great that he respects and wants to spend time with her!"

Ariela squinted and searched the ceiling briefly. "So … why is he a jackass again?"

The detective sighed. She knew what Ariela wanted her to do, but she did not see the point in it. "If I say I miss her, she's still gone …" she muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, but you do miss her. I think it helps you deal with it a little bit better. So, do you think that's why you don't like him?"

Jane frowned and glared at the ADA once more. "Where the hell are you going with this?"

Ariela snorted and rolled her eyes. "Just asking questions. _Dios_, you're so suspicious of everything. I'm a lawyer. We ask questions."

"You ask questions with a purpose. You're leading me somewhere. So, where the hell are you going with this?"

Once again, brown eyes rolled and Ariela sighed, shaking her head. "Jane, you know where I'm going with this, which is why you're so annoyed."

For some reason, that lit a spark in the detective, mostly because she knew exactly where the lawyer was going with her "questions." She did not want to hear that crap from Ariela. Maybe because it seemed like Ariela might know what she was talking about where as everyone else that mentioned it was either making fun of her or just talking out of their asses as far she was concerned.

"I've gone through all of this bullshit before and that's all it is – bullshit!" Jane shouted, hopping off of the couch in favor of pacing behind it. Ariela did not bother to get off of the floor, but she sat up properly and tracked Jane with her eyes.

"Is it really? Have you ever stopped and thought about it objectively? Like if you were working a case? Thought about it without your emotions and bias and annoyances and all of that other crap that goes through your mind. Loving a woman isn't the worst thing on Earth," Ariela declared with a shrug. "In fact, I'd rank it like number one."

Jane glared down at the lounging ADA. "Who said anything about loving a woman?"

Ariela groaned and ducked her head, shaking it for a moment. "So, you don't love Maura?" she asked, looking up with curious chocolate eyes.

The question hit Jane like a sucker punch to the gut and she stopped moving. "Of course, I love Maura!" Realizing what she said and how Ariela would take it, she tried to clean the proclamation up. "She's my best friend." Her tone was tense and she growled at the end of her statement, feeling like Ariela was baiting her to get her to slip up.

"You know that shit might work on guys, but I know what two female best friends are like. Now, I'm not a good material witness because I haven't seen you two interact much, but I've heard about the two of you to know you don't act like friends. You know your mom talks my ear off when I come into the café now, the lawyer pointed out with a grin.

"I knew I shouldn't have introduced you two," Jane snarled.

Ariela shrugged. "It wouldn't have mattered. Frost gossips like a little schoolgirl, too, and so does Korsak. They're not telling me stuff to make you look like an ass like those blabbermouth jerks at the station. So, go, tell me all of the bullshit you've told other people and yourself."

"It isn't bullshit! Maura is my best friend. We take care of each other!" Jane stated soundly, as if that made it true.

Ariela finally climbed to her feet to stare the detective in the face. "And there's nothing wrong with that, Jane. But, there's more to it than that. When we watched the game, you sat in between us, like you didn't want me to touch her."

The detective reared back a bit. "What? No! I'm not an asshole like that!"

"I don't mean like she would get my lesbian cooties or something stupid like that, but that she was yours and you wanted her to yourself. Jane, that's all I get from you when it comes to Doctor Isles. You complain about her boyfriend and about her not being around because you want her to yourself, which is fine."

"It's not fine! She's my best friend and that's selfish! I should be happy for her! She's happy and has a great guy that treats her the way she deserves to be treated!" Jane's voice cracked and she feared that her body and mind would be next.

"And she doesn't need you anymore?

"She doesn't and it's selfish of me to want her back!" The tears were gathering in her eyes and she turned to try to hide, but it was too late. Ariela had already seen and she could not stop the tears now. The wound was open and everything was pouring out of it. She was not sure if she would ever be able to stop.

Ariela approached and gently placed her hands on Jane's shoulders. "It's not selfish to want the one you love. And, Jane, she does need you. What I saw while we were supposed to be watching the game told me that Doctor Isles needs and wants you as much as you need and want her. She's comfortable and relaxed around you, which I had never seen from her before then. She doesn't chatter endlessly around you as I've seen her do. Everything she says has meaning around you and isn't there to fill an uncomfortable silence. I'm not even going to tell you want I know about you two from the stories from everyone else. I just know you fit. You two complement each other."

"So what? It doesn't mean anything." Jane shrugged her friend's hand away, but it returned. She lacked the energy to get rid of it a second time.

"It means everything to you, so it means something," Ariela said calmly.

"It doesn't," Jane insisted. It could not mean everything because then Maura left her behind, Maura left her for Alistair and she was not able to deal with that idea.

Ariela sighed. "Jane, you're my friend. I want you to be happy, consistently, not momentarily. You're happy, content when you're with her and you can't be happy _for_ her while she's with Alistair because you know she should be with you. You're never going to be truly happy if you don't act on your emotions. It'll lead you to regret. It'll lead you to thinking about what if."

"I already wonder," the detective croaked, wiping her eyes with the hope that it would get the tears to cease.

"You really need to stop wondering and do what makes you happy. I mean, I'd never seen you so visibly happy as you were all night with Maura there. When she fell asleep against you and you put your arm around her to cuddle her, I felt like I was intruding on your private time."

"That was nothing. She sleeps so peacefully against me," Jane muttered, speaking to herself mostly.

"It looked that way to me, which actually just made me feel worse. It really seemed like it was your moment together and I had no business being there. I don't want to push you, Jane, but you've been really kind to me. I want you to be happy and Maura seems to be the key to that door. You want her and I wasn't sure if you realized it, which is why I brought it up. I didn't know you were already aware and just keeping it in. I didn't want to upset you." It sounded like an apology, soft and low, but she did not say the key words "I'm sorry" because they both knew that she was not.

Jane sighed. "I know, Ariela. I know." At least the tears finally halted.

The attorney smiled slightly. "And, one last thing, just so you know, Maura has a thing for you. She was totally pissed that I was here, watching baseball and drinking beer with you."

The detective turned around to give Ariela an incredulous look. Ariela matched that with a stupid smile. Jane laughed a bit, shaking her head.

"You're loopy. Maura doesn't get pissed," Jane said, even though she was all too aware that was not true. Maura did not get pissed for silly things like someone being over the apartment for some baseball and beer, though.

"Oh, yeah, she does. She was glaring at me as if trying to blast me with her heat vision."

"You're just trying to make it seem like the world is populated by lesbians," Jane joked, attempting to now gain some control of the conversation.

Ariela smiled. "The world would be a better place if it was. Besides, I'm not saying you're a lesbian or that Doctor Isles is a lesbian. I'm just saying she was totally pissed at me for hanging out with you while watching baseball and you both care about each other beyond a normal friendship, which is cool. There's nothing wrong with loving someone that loves you back."

"How do you know she loves me? You've only seen us together once outside of work."

Ariela shrugged nonchalantly. "I told you your mother talks to me. Frost and Korsak go on about you two all the time. They all see it, but don't want to get involved in case they're wrong and because they know you'll get cranky, as you often do."

"I don't get cranky!"

Ariela scoffed. "Bitchy then, if you prefer. Whatever the hell you want to call it. Anyway, I can't just sit back and watch it, though, especially not with you complaining about a good guy and not admitting why you have a problem with the guy."

"Of course not, because you have a big mouth."

The lawyer snickered. "That's one of the things that make me a good lesbian. But, in all seriousness, never mind with the labels. Just worry about being happy … and make sure Maura doesn't kill me because we have baseball to study and basketball to watch."

Jane chuckled and punched Ariela in the shoulder. "Stop being helpful."

"Ow! What Maura sees in you, I don't know, you brute. Hit me and I will cut you."

That got another laugh out of Jane. "I can't believe Frost and my mother talked to you about me and Maura."

"To be fair, your mother didn't start up until she found out I was gay. Before you ask, I had to tell her about the second time I went in the café by myself because she was trying to set me up with your brother. Of course, after I said I was gay, she wanted to know if I was dating you since we always hang out now."

Jane growled. "Of course. My mother can't just serve food like her job description suggests. So, she thinks I'm gay?"

"She thinks you're in love with Maura, but she's not sure if you know it or if you're trying to hide it. Basically, she tells me things about you two to figure out if you're 'doing something gay.' And, just so you know, the sleepovers are so fucking gay," Ariela declared with a grin.

"Fuck you, Ariela," Jane grunted half-heartedly.

"Oh, please, you couldn't handle me. So, what are you going to do? Just to warn you, I'll keep bringing this shit up until you do something because there's no way in Hell I'm letting my friend be miserable when she doesn't have to be, especially when her decision could make two people very happy."

"You are possibly most annoying person I have ever met and I have younger brothers."

Ariela scoffed. "You haven't seen annoying yet, so get your shit together."

Jane did not doubt the ADA on that and she silently conceded that she did need to get her shit together. Lately, all she could think was Maura falling away from her and there was a Maura-sized void in her soul. Maura seemed really taken with Alistair and seemed to prefer him to Jane, even if she did leave one day with Alistair to hang out with Jane. Still, most of the time, Maura's time was booked tight with the man and that continued to leave a sour taste in Jane's mouth. So, she needed to put up or shut up and get used to the taste of them apples. _No, fuck that, I don't like them apples at all_.

The detective contemplated what she should do well after Ariela left her apartment. If she did not act, if she continued on as she always had, she was certain that she would lose Maura and that thought caused her heart to thump heavily in her chest. Bile bubbled in her stomach and rose to her throat as notions of life without Maura danced through her head. _Life? What life without her?_

She would merely exist if Maura was not there to be the sun in her gloomy world. She would be consumed by her own abyss inside of her and the darkness of the outside world without the light of Maura's cheer and oddly jovial disposition. And, beyond that, she did not trust that Alistair could really treat Maura the way that the doctor deserved to be treated.

Of course, she mentally conceded that Maura seemed to think Alistair treated her fine. Not to mention, there was the fact that Maura was definitely heterosexual. While Jane tried to ignore her sexuality, she had known for most of her life that she was bisexual at best, but favoring the fairer sex and trying very hard to make something out of nothing with men most of the time. Although, she was certain that her track record with men was more due to the fact that her job added a lot of stress on relationships than the fact that she just was not good with men. Maura had never really shown an interest in women, even if Ariela swore that the blond glared at her.

Jane sighed and decided not to let it eat away at her. She would just go back to repressing the emotions and see what Maura would do. After all, she did not want to complicate Maura's life, especially if Maura was happy. So, she went about her life as normally as she could until she got a text from Ariela a couple of days later while she was sitting at her desk.

"I just spoke with your mother. I guess you're gonna hafta see annoying," the message informed her.

Jane scoffed. "How annoying can she get?" She would later mark those down as famous last words.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura looked up as she heard a familiar loud, frustrated groan and her heart raced as she realized Jane was coming. She had to resist the urge to check her appearance. She wanted everything to be perfect for Jane, but she knew that she did not have the time and she did not fully understand the compulsion. She did take a deep breath to calm down as Jane burst through the morgue doors with her phone in her hand.

"Dammit, wench, stop fucking texting me," Jane snarled at the device as she jabbed buttons on the keypad.

Maura blinked. "Jane, are you all right?"

Jane's head shot up and she looked like a deer in headlights, as if she did not expect Maura to be standing there, in the morgue, when they had a new case and a victim was on her table. Jane realized that she was staring and shook her head as if to get herself out of a trance. Maura offered her a soft smile.

"Huh?" Jane said.

"I asked if you were all right," Maura said.

"Oh, yeah. Ariela is just being an annoying bitch. Nothing new there," the detective remarked with a brief smile that let Maura know the insult was actually said with care. But, then a frown settled on Jane's face and the tension in her body told a story of frustration. Jane then turned her attention to the body while keeping an odd distance from the doctor. "How about her? Anything new?"

Maura smiled, pleased with the normalcy. Of course, she would like more things, like to have her best friend back, but she would take what she could get. She would always take what she could get. _The story of my life, but with Jane, it doesn't seem as bad_.

"I only just started the autopsy, but I was able to pull out one of the bullets. Very small," Maura said, holding up her bounty for the detective to see.

Jane glanced down. "Probably a twenty-two …" She opened her mouth to continue, but her phone began buzzing. "Son of a motherfucker, Ariela!" she hollered, throwing her hands up and stomping her foot.

Maura blinked at the outburst as Jane checked her phone. The lanky brunette growled and heatedly punched the keys on her phone to respond. A jolt of happiness went through Maura at the thought of Jane being upset with Ariela because part of her feared that she was losing her best friend to the ADA. But, as soon as she realized that she felt that way, she was overcome by shame. _Jane can have whatever friends she wants and I shouldn't be pleased if they're having problems_.

"I'm sorry, Maura. What were you saying?" Jane asked as she shoved her phone back onto her belt.

"I was saying I only just started the autopsy," Maura repeated. "Are you all right?"

Jane sighed, relaxing her shoulders. "Yeah, Ariela's just being a pest, which is nothing new. I'll just go beat the crap out of her next free moment I get."

"That's very violent of you. You don't normally act that way with your friends. Your brothers, but not your friends."

"Ariela's a special case. She's annoying like a little brother, so now I have to keep her in line like one. A few good punches should get her to stop being a pest. Let's get back to the case. I'll worry about Ariela later."

Maura nodded and focused on the case while noting that Jane's phone buzzed about once a minute. Jane always stiffened and grumbled when her phone went off, but she did not answer it. Maura wondered what was going on between Jane and Ariela.

"You know, Jane, if you and ADA Ortiz are having problems, I could help mediate. I've taken a course," Maura offered with a bright smile. She figured it would give her a chance to be around Jane and she could be supportive, like a good friend should be.

"Of course, you have. Thank you, but no. Everything will be fine between me and the ADA after I put my foot in her ass," Jane proclaimed. Maura could feel a pout coming on, but could not stop it. Jane groaned. "Don't look at me like that. It's not that I don't want your help. Ariela is being annoying on purpose."

Well, that seemed strange, so Maura could not help her next question. "Why?"

Jane opened her mouth, but closed it quietly. "No reason," she said a little too quickly.

The doctor felt her insides drop a bit because Jane was lying to her. Before she could pry the truth from the detective, Jane was gone, rushing back upstairs with the excuse of needing to talk to Frost. Maura sighed, willing tears away as she watched Jane retreat, in more ways than one.

"I'm losing my best friend and I don't know what to do," the medical examiner sniffled. Usually, she would discuss such a problem with Jane, but obviously that would not work in this case. She decided to go to the next best place – Angela.

The Rizzoli matriarch grinned as Maura approached the café. Maura returned the expression, even though sorrow gripped her insides. She had not seen much of Angela outside of the station and she knew that was her fault.

"Hi, Maura, looking for a late lunch?" Angela proposed.

The blond shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I was wondering if you know what's wrong with Jane."

"You might need to narrow this down. This is Jane we're talking about," Angela joked, laughing at her own words.

Maura gave a small smile. "She was tense when she came to the morgue and she was swearing at her phone."

Angela's eyes went wide briefly and she opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. Maura wondered what was going on with both Jane and her mother now. She felt like she was being shut out.

"Ariela's just bothering Jane because that's what she does. She said she's decided to be Jane's annoying little sister since all of her siblings are across the country and now she's trying to pester Jane into doing something. Jane's just not used to it," Angela explained with a shrug. She appeared to be telling the truth, but came off as way too nonchalant.

Maura knew there was something Angela was not telling her and if Angela was not going to tell her then no one would. _That's it, then. I'm back on the outside. I've lost everything_. Maura finally understood the term heartbroken because she could feel her heart shatter. The sensation spread throughout her body until she felt completely broken.

"I've got nothing …" the doctor whispered in despair.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Alistair notices there's something up with Maura while Ariela volunteers Jane's place for a movie night.


	8. The Dark Abyss

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I don't own Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which gets a mention in this chapter. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

8: The Dark Abyss

Maura sighed and stared down at her dinner plate, not really seeing the food that was in front of her. Her mind was too occupied with the thoughts that she had somehow lost her friends, her family, and Jane.

_Jane_. Maura's heart pounded in her chest, but felt like her ribs were squeezing it to death. The mere thought of her best friend, or possibly former best friend, caused her to physically ache. In fact, "former best friend" scared her. She almost panicked right then and there, but managed to remember that she was in a crowded restaurant. Her body trembled, though, and needed to release her anguish in some manner. She sighed again.

"Are you all right, Maura?" Alistair inquired from across the small table.

He reached over and touched her hand. The sensation surprised her and she pulled away, which was all well and good anyway because she did not want him to know that she was shivering. Quickly shaking her head, she snapped out of her misery. Her eyes focused and she was surprised to see Alistair sitting across from her. She had to blink a few times to make sure that she was seeing correctly. She tried to remember when she had even stepped out with him.

The evening was a complete blur to her. It frightened her that she did not even know where they were eating right now. If something happened, she would not be able to call Jane and tell her the location for help. Her heart increased speed, but suddenly her brain reminded her that Alistair had asked her a question and was waiting for a response.

"Excuse me?" Maura asked, blinking several times.

"I asked if you were all right. You seem distracted," Alistair noted with concern watering his gaze.

"Oh." Maura took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I am because I'm concerned about Jane."

He offered her a soft smile. "From what you told me Jane can take care of herself."

"She can, but she was very agitated today. I just hope she resolved what was troubling her. I don't like to see her upset."

"I'm sure she'll sort it out. You always paint her as a most capable woman. Don't let it weigh on you." He reached out for her again and while she did not pull away, she did not react to the gentle touch. Thankfully, she was not shaking anymore now that she was more aware of her surroundings.

"I can't help it. She's my best friend, practically my family. I worry about her."

He nodded, as if he understood and agreed, but his eyes told her that he really could not empathize with her. His words proved it, though. "Speaking of your family, when will I get to meet your parents?"

She managed to keep in both a sigh and a frown. She was tired of the subject of her parents with him. She could not figure out why he kept bringing them up, especially when she had explained several times that they were not in the United States. Making it even more exhausting was that fact that she had all but plainly stated that Jane was the person that she was closest to and if he was serious about her, Jane would be the person to meet. He dodged that suggestion every single time that she brought it up.

"They're still out of the country. Would you like to meet Jane and her family? They're like my family," the doctor offered for what felt like the hundredth time. She often suggested it when he requested to meet her parents.

He gave the expected response, shaking his head. "I can wait to meet your parents. Your friends are your own. I don't expect you to share everything with me so soon." He smiled at her, but it was not his usual warm, almost boyish expression. There was something a little strained about it, but she was not sure why that was.

She could only wonder why he did not seem to understand that her friends were so much more than friends. They were the first group of people to accept her for who she was and helped her feel comfortable in her own skin. They were her family, her everything, and they were gone. She was left with a man who only superficially understood her.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Alistair inquired, interrupting her thoughts. "Do you want to go home?" The concern in his voice would have been touching if only she were not on the verge of being upset with him for reasons that she could barely fathom.

She forced a small smile to set him at ease and tried to calm herself down. _It's not his fault I'm losing those closest to me_. Despite the fact that he did not fully get her, he was sweet and thoughtful most of the time. He was also genuinely worried about her. She did not want to ruin yet another date between them.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I'm not better company," she apologized.

He flashed her that charming smile that she so enjoyed. "You're the best company and I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. I always enjoy being around you."

She smiled. "You are good company as well."

"Better than Jane?" he asked, more than likely joking, but Maura had to bite her tongue to avoid answering. There was something in his eyes and the way he moved in his seat that let her know he was more serious than he meant to let on.

"Learn to tackle a man twice the size of you and we can revisit this conversation," she replied with a smile, hoping to relax him.

He laughed, but was still slightly stiff. "I'd rather just pay someone to do it."

"And there lies the difference," she remarked. _But, there are so many other, more significant differences_.

His usual charming smile was in place, taking her words for humor. She did not bother to correct him because it would not have done her any good. Everyone that mattered had already left her behind. It did not seem wise to push Alistair into leaving her, too.

-8-8-8-8-

"Monster movie marathon at your place," Ariela demanded as she stepped over to Jane's desk.

The detective looked up at her as if asking if she had lost her tiny, ever-loving mind, but the answer to that was obvious. She had to ask the less obvious question, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ariela made a face and then glared at Frost. "Barry, man, you said you had this!"

Frost went wide-eyed and drew his mouth down into an offended frown while putting his palm on his chest. "I said I had snacks! Never in the history of mankind would I volunteer to ask Jane to host a monster movie marathon. The hell is wrong with you to even think I would say something like that? Ask Korsak, he knows what I said." He looked over at Korsak, who pretended to be reading over a file. Frost now scowled. "It's like that, old man? Consider yourself uninvited."

"But, not dead," Korsak muttered without taking his eyes off of that file.

"You can't uninvited Korsak to a thing no one was invited to in the first place!" Jane hissed, scowling at the lot of them.

"Jane, come on, I texted you about this," Ariela said, scrunching up her face.

The brunette scoffed. "I stopped reading your texts a week ago."

Ariela's jaw literally dropped along with her arms and her eyes looked like they were ready to tumble out of her skull. "Who does that?"

"I do when you get on my nerves. Now, what the hell are you three stooges up to?" Jane inquired, even though she doubted that she would like the explanation. Nothing good ever came from the three of them when they got together.

"We want to have a movie marathon at your place since it's kind of neutral," Ariela told her as if it was simple.

"How is my place neutral?" Jane asked in a puzzled tone. "What the hell does that even mean? When did any of us become warring countries and why the hell am I the Switzerland?"

"It's the only one that doesn't look like a bachelor pad or that your career threw up in it," Frost told her with a shrug.

Jane had to think about that one. "Would it be too hard for you to just throw out a pizza box once in a while, Ariela?"

The ADA snorted. "Why is it just me? Have you seen Barry's condo lately? His PS3 is buried under hamburger wrappers." Frost looked offended by that. Jane did not know why because his place looked like a crime scene the last time she was there.

"All right, children, settle down," Jane said before Frost could bite back at Ariela. "Make it a slashers movie marathon, you guys bring the food, I got the movies, and Korsak keeps his shoes on."

"Hey!" Korsak glared at his former partner.

"I'm cool with that," Frost agreed with a nod.

"Sounds good to me. I need to celebrate winning yet another case," Ariela boasted with a grin.

"You walk into my apartment with your head swollen and we're going to spend the night talking about the cases you lost and you're walking home in the cold Boston spring," Jane threatened. While it was not cold to the rest of them, the Californian seemed to think that New England in the springtime was freezing.

Ariela yelped, "I'll be good."

Jane rolled her eyes because she doubted that promise. Ariela had been harassing her in every way possible, but she figured some menacing words would get her a reprieve for a while. She did not want to think about Maura for a while, especially since she was fairly sure that she had lost Maura to Alistair. After all, she only saw Maura at work now.

So pleased was Jane with the movie distraction that she did not even bother to ask what brought the idea on. She had no doubt Ariela thought of it and Frost just hyped her up, or it could have easily been the other way around since they fed off of each other. Despite Ariela's intent on being irksome, Jane was thankful for the ADA just because she helped Jane get to know Frost better. But, their friendship did not replace Maura. Nothing could ever or would ever replace Maura.

"Maura …" Jane whispered and all eyes went to her, which made her realize that she said that out loud. Thinking quickly, she reached for her phone and looked down at it. "I gotta go see Maura," she lied and rushed for the door before anyone could call her bluff.

Jane tried to think of some excuse as she made her way down to Maura's office. She supposed that she could just go talk to Maura, including asking about Alistair. _That's what a good friend would do_. Smiling with pride for having thought of that, Jane almost hopped into Maura's office.

"Jane," Maura smiled as the detective entered.

"Hey, Maura," Jane smiled back. _Oh, I miss that smile so much. I wish I could just spend time down here and let her smile at me_. "How's it going?"

"Well, I've been able to catch up on my paperwork today since we weren't called out. What brings you down?"

Jane shrugged. "Just checking on you. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. How about you?"

The detective could not help wondering how the hell they of all people had come to exchanging meaningless pleasantries. They had lost years of closeness in a matter of months. Her heart hurt, feeling crushed and stomped on repeatedly. _How did we let things come to this? How the hell did _I_ let things come to this?_

"I'm fine. Doing my best not to strangle our winning ADA," Jane remarked, shifting uncomfortably from side to side. _I need to figure out how to freaking fix this mess somehow_.

Maura's face tensed and she tried to cover it up with a fake smile, which really only made matters worse. She looked slightly demented for a moment, but worked through it with a question. "How is ADA Ortiz?"

Jane shrugged and snorted. "She's a pain in the ass. She and Frost decided they wanted to have a monster movie marathon at my house tonight, but neither bothered to tell me until five minutes ago. Freaking idiots," she grumbled playfully. "They're lucky I was in a generous mood. But, we're watching slasher flicks. I refuse to watch a bunch of movies with dudes in costumes or cheap CGI effects."

Maura silently stared for a second that seemed to last all eternity. "I'm going out with Alistair to a jazz club," she finally filled the air.

Jane nodded stiffly. "That's good," she sort of choked out. She cleared her throat before continuing. "How is old Mr. Burns, anyway?" she forced out a chuckle and hoped it did not sound as uncomfortable as it felt. _I should get a medal for being able to bring him up without vomiting_.

"He's good," Maura replied with a nod. She nodded several times, as if she was trying to convince herself of something.

Jane studied her friend briefly, wondering if there was something wrong between Maura and Alistair. But, there was no more information that supported that idea. Internally, Jane frowned as she realized that she was hoping for bad news between Maura and her boyfriend. _How low is that? I should be happy that Maura's happy and move on with my life, like a good friend would_.

"Well, I should get going. I need to get the place ready for the movie marathon," Jane said. "Have fun at your jazz club."

"Enjoy the slasher films."

"I'll be sure to criticize them twice as hard in your honor," Jane joked and she got a smile out of the chief medical examiner. "See you later, Maura." she refused to say goodbye. It would never be goodbye, even if it felt like it.

Maura only smiled and that was good enough for Jane. Hope spread throughout her body because it was not goodbye for Maura either. Something would work out one day. Jane was not sure what that something was, but that was all she needed to keep on going for now.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane decided to invite Frankie and Tommy to the movie fest because she had not done anything with her brothers lately. They showed up first with beer. Ariela was not far behind with a six-foot sub and sodas. Frost and Korsak showed up with pizzas and potato chips. Jane already had a movie in her DVD player; Maura had to been begging her to upgrade, but she never got around to it because Maura stopped nagging her about it.

"I'm starving. Is this ham?" Frankie asked Ariela as he moved to take piece of the sub.

"Yeah, so we can all eat it except for Frost because he's a pussy," Ariela teased.

Frost scoffed. "And Ariela says those things because she's a dick."

The ADA smiled and blew Frost a kiss, which got one of his elfish smiles out of him. Frankie and Tommy, not used to the lawyer, turned to Jane for an explanation. Jane shrugged.

"She really is," the female detective said.

"Shut up!" Ariela barked as she opened one of the pizza boxes. She saw half of the pizza was mushroom and the other half was sausage. She glanced at Jane, who was staring at her, daring her to say something. "So, what are we watching first?" the lawyer asked with a bright smile.

Jane's gaze told Ariela that she made a wise decision. "Classic first. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

No one objected to that. They all grabbed some food and beer before finding their places in the living room. The movie was barely on for two minutes before they started talking, criticizing things. But, the real fun began when people began dying because now they all had to point out what was unrealistic, what they would do in the victims' places, or what they would do if they were Leatherface. The cops in the room also had to point out how they would investigate, which led Ariela to point out what could hold up in court. They laughed through the whole movie.

Before they started another movie, they went to throw their trash out or get some more food. Tommy ended up with Jane by the sink. She did not think anything of it until her baby brother got into her personal space.

"Tommy, what the hell? Can I get a little elbow room?" Jane said, nudging him with the aforementioned body part.

"Hey, hook me up with your friend," Tommy requested in a low voice with one of his typical smiles.

Jane looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What friend?"

"Ariela, duh," he grunted.

The elder Rizzoli burst out laughing. "Hook you up how? You need a lawyer? Too bad she's a prosecutor."

He frowned. "No, hook me up on a date unless you think Ariela's too good for me."

Jane laughed even more. "Don't you have a baby mama?"

He scoffed. "I'm not married to her. So, hook me up with Ariela. I'm a good catch."

The eldest was close to tears now with her laughter. Tommy's face began to turn red with anger. She decided to be merciful before he popped a vein or did something stupid. She did not want to have to embarrass him in front of a bunch of people.

"Calm down, Tommy boy. You're not Ariela's type," Jane told him.

"What, you mean because I'm an ex-con?" he demanded.

"More because you don't have a good rack. I'm a sucker for some good tits, which is why Jane isn't my type either," Ariela remarked from behind them. The siblings turned around to see her grinning.

"Hey!" Jane punched the lawyer in the shoulder.

Ariela grimaced. "Ow! She's abusive, too. I don't see how anyone puts up with her."

"Maura's the only one to semi-train Jane," Frankie commented as he joined them, grabbing another beer out of the refrigerator. "I'm assuming the tit size isn't something Maura worries about." He handed a beer to Ariela, who immediately laughed at his comment.

"Frankie!" Jane snarled.

"Oh, nice!" Ariela actually gave Frankie a high-five. Jane glared at them, utterly annoyed that they were getting along so well. She knew a kinship between them would spell trouble for her, especially if Ariela tried to get Frankie involved with pushing her to be with Maura.

"Shut up and let's go watch the next movie," Jane ordered them. Ariela and Frankie looked too innocent for her own good. She made a mental note to separate them.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura sat in the jazz club with Alistair. She had not really heard any of the music playing, so lost was she in her own mind. She barely registered Alistair touching her elbow, but she turned a questioning gaze to him.

"Are you all right?" he asked earnestly with concern.

The truth came spilling out before Maura could stop it. "Jane is having friends over for a slasher film marathon and didn't even think to invite me!" She hoped that she was speaking low enough to not disturb anyone and to cover up the fact that she wanted to cry.

His brow furrowed. "Slasher films? Surely Jane knew that such low brow entertainment was beneath you and that's why she didn't invite you."

Maura blinked. "No, I really like watching slasher films with Jane. We dissect them on so many levels and she didn't even bother to invite me, even though she knows how much I enjoy them."

"But, we had a date anyway," he argued.

"Yes, but inviting me is a matter of principle and politeness. She was unaware of our plans. She didn't invite me, already assuming I couldn't be there or she just didn't want me there. She just doesn't want me …" she sniffled and a couple of tears escaped her eyes. She felt like her stomach was about to drop out of her abdomen.

Alistair wrapped her in his arms, but his expression dropped. "You would rather be with her than with me, wouldn't you?" he asked softly.

It was a loaded question, but Maura could not be bothered with the consequences of responding. She was in so much pain. Jane was gone, perhaps with a new best friend. She was certain being drawn and quartered did not compare to her own agony.

"I need Jane. I've always needed her. She fulfills me in so many ways, does so many things for me, broadens my horizons, understands me, and helps me better understand myself. I need her, but she's going away, " the medical examiner sobbed into his shoulder.

He rubbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Because you're not spending the time together that you used to?"

"And she has a new best friend, Ariela. She doesn't need me anymore."

"Maura, let's go talk about this somewhere private. I know you want to really cry, but won't do it here."

Maura nodded and allowed Alistair to help her out of her chair. They retreated to his car. By then, Maura's face was flush and hot with anguish. He offered her tissues, but she could not get her hand to function well enough to take them. She knew that she appeared to be a mess, but she did not care because she was a mess. She was a weeping, trembling, twitching mess that could not be corrected without her best friend.

"Maura, I'm just going to tell you what I think. Will you listen?" Alistair requested and the bawling doctor nodded. "Now, I like you and I'm invested in a relationship with you, but I also know when I'm beat, even if you don't seem to realize it."

"What do you mean?"

"Who do you talk about most of the time you're with me? Who do you always say will go with you somewhere if I don't? Who do you always want to bring some place that we've gone and you enjoyed? Who are you always trying to get me to meet when I ask to meet your family? Who are you always thinking about?" he gently pressed.

"Jane." She said the name with near reverence.

He nodded. "So, I know when I'm beat. She had you long before I came along, but it seems like you never considered it."

She sniffled. "I hadn't."

A small smile settled on his face. "Maybe you needed an outside opinion. You were too close and set in a routine from the way you tell it. You two were, no, _are_ used to each other and you gave each other what you needed in that time. Jane gives you more than I do, doesn't she?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You know what I mean, but you don't want to hurt me. You won't. I realized a while ago who you really want to be with and I thought you'd say something. When you didn't, I thought you were trying to get over Jane and you wanted to be with me, which I thought was great because I want to be with you. I didn't know _you_ actually hadn't figured it until this moment. Maura, you're hurt because you think Jane doesn't want you anymore. Do you understand why that is?" he gently pressed.

"She's my best friend …" Maura whimpered.

Shaking his head, he gave her another small smile. "That's your safety net, so you don't have to admit the truth to yourself. I'm more of a friend to you than Jane is. She fills all of those spaces that I should and I can't be mad because she was there first and she makes you happy. She's the one you want to be with. I'm the one you'd hang out with. There's a difference."

The doctor sniffled, but she took in his words. She thought her relationship with Jane compared to the relationships with men. There really was nothing to compare, though. She did not have relationships with men. She slept with men. They scratched an itch for her. Jane was something different altogether. Jane fulfilled her. When Jane was not around, she was empty. There was a void inside of her growing without Jane. There was pain without Jane. There was nothing without Jane.

"I feel so bad on the inside. Am I rotting away?" she confessed through a sob. She could not figure out a better way to put it right now.

A sorrowful look overcame his kind eyes. "Because you're denying yourself, Maura. You're starving your soul. I don't know why you're doing it, but you should stop. It's not doing you any good. I don't like seeing you in pain like this and I know you don't like being in pain like this."

"I just wanted to show her I was okay and she didn't need to worry about me all the time like she was after … well, doesn't matter what it was after. Plus, I really do like being with you, spending time with you, but you're right. You're more a friend to me. I like being around you and talking with you. I even enjoy going places with you. But, I don't have romantic feelings for you," she confessed.

He sighed while nodding. "I really wish that wasn't the case, but I can't argue with the truth. I doubt I could compete with Jane either since she's all you talk about when you're with me."

"You're a good man, Alistair."

"I try to be, which is why I'm going to offer to drive you to Jane's place."

She sniffled. "You'd really do that?"

"Yes, because I know this was coming. Once you stopped inviting me into your home, I knew something was up. I've been in the 'friend' zone for a while with you. I was just waiting for you to see it. I didn't want to push you. Besides, a small part of me hoped that I was wrong and hoped that we might be able to have something together."

She shook her head. "I don't think you are. I'm sorry."

He smiled again and kissed her hair. "Don't be. You didn't realize. It happens. I just hope it doesn't happen to me again."

"Any woman would be lucky to have you."

"I wish that were true because then I'd have you."

She could only give a tearful smile. The ride to Jane's apartment was silent beyond the directions that Maura gave him. All too soon they were sitting in front of the building and Maura felt like she was drowning. Alistair put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned to look at him.

"Breathe, Maura. It's just your Jane. You don't have to say anything to her. Just go to her," he told her in a gentle tone.

Maura nodded. "Thank you for everything. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

"Just keep being my friend and we'll call it even," he replied.

Hazel eyes went wide. "You still want to be my friend despite all of this?"

His eyes went soft along with his smile. "You've met some of my other friends. None of them would ever go to a jazz club with me. Hell, none of them would go to a gothic lecture with me and they're architects, too."

Maura gasped in disbelief. "That was so much fun. I don't see how anyone could pass that up."

Alistair laughed. "You're so wonderful. Jane is lucky to have you in whatever way, shape, or form that you give yourself to her. Now, go to her. Call me later and let me know what happens."

She could only nod. She got out of the car and stared up at the building, her eyes going right to Jane's window. The lights were still on. She took a deep breath to steel herself and took a step toward the future, the unknown.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the unknown because known.


	9. SWAK

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

9: SWAK

Jane was curled up on the couch with Ariela. The guys had left the movie marathon less than a half-hour ago with various reasons muttered as they exited. The ladies pressed on at Ariela's request. Ariela did not want to go home because there was nothing at home. Jane did not mind her company and she did not want to be alone either, so it worked out. Jane moved the snacks closer and got a blanket for them. They were close enough to touch, but they were leaning in opposite directions. The detective tucked a throw pillow underneath her arm as she leaned.

"We've got to get you some new friends or a girlfriend," Jane commented with a teasing smile while starting a new movie.

"But, we're having so much fun together!" Ariela cooed and she blew kisses at the detective.

Jane could not help laughing and rolled her eyes. "The hell we are. I don't need another younger sibling."

"I have moved up in ranks! Younger sibling," the lawyer hooted. "Wait till I tell Frankie!"

"And this is why you need new friends or a girlfriend. I definitely don't need you hanging around and getting all buddy-buddy with Frankie." Despite her best efforts, Ariela and Frankie had a few moments during the night. Thankfully, the moments were not at her expense, but she knew it was coming eventually. "Now, shut up and let's watch this movie."

Ariela was about to say something, but thankfully a knock at the door made her close her big mouth. Jane hopped up, not really caring who was there since the person just saved her from hearing more crap from Ariela. Looking through the peephole, Jane fumbled to open the door in a hurry. Maura stood before her with a small, almost shy smile on her face.

"Hey, Maura," Jane stuttered, not to sure what to say beyond that. Not too long ago, she would not even have to think about it what to do with her best friend standing before her. She would have just let Maura in and move on with her life.

"May I come in?" Maura entreated. Not too long ago, she would never have asked that. It would have been a given.

"Of course." Jane stepped aside to allow the doctor in.

Maura entered the apartment, but halted one step in. Her eyes focused on Ariela, who was quite cozy under the blanket on the sofa. Maura gulped and felt her heart pounding in her chest as anxiety clawed at her stomach. She looked like she was about to flee the scene. She went as far as turning around, but Jane put an arm around her before she could do anything else. She actually looked at the gangly limb on her shoulder and realized how much she missed such simple contact. She almost burst into tears from that alone.

"Come sit down. The movie just started. I got a pizza with mushrooms on it. It's cold now, but you can heat it up," Jane informed the smaller woman. She gently guided Maura to the opposite end of the sofa.

Maura did not say anything as Jane pushed her down. Jane flung the blanket out of Maura's way, giving the cover to Ariela. The lawyer did not even glance at her and Jane acted like Ariela was not even there. She focused on Maura and nothing more.

"Do you need anything?" Jane asked her best friend. Her hands were sweating and her stomach was twisting, but she did her best to act natural. She did not want to give Ariela ammo against her or freak Maura out.

The doctor did not verbally respond. She held out her hand, which Jane took. Maura gently pulled Jane down to the couch next to her. Maura cuddled into Jane as she used to do, as if no time had passed since the last time they had done that. They were silent for a few minutes and the air felt heavy between them. Ariela stepped in, wanting to ease the tension in the room and hopefully spark something between the two friends.

"Explain this to me, why the fuck do they always inspect the strange noises? I have never in my life walked toward a weird noise, especially after a bunch of people I know have been killed," Ariela declared, earning strange looks from the pair. She nudged Jane with her foot. "You always investigate noises, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I have a gun," Jane remarked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but you probably did it before the gun," Ariela said.

"Yeah, but I always did it with my bat nearby."

The ADA snickered. "Figures."

"Um … you do realize you said you never in your life walked toward a weird noise, especially after people you know have been killed. Have you ever experienced such a thing?" Maura had to ask because nothing in her nature could let pass.

"Happens every Thursday," Ariela joked. "I might be a killer."

"Or you might be annoying. Personally, I'd rather deal with a killer than you most of the time," Jane commented.

Ariela made a noise and looked quite offended. "You're so mean! That's why you'd die in the horror movie."

Jane scoffed. "So would you. After all, you're Mexican."

The lawyer burst out laughing. Maura shifted a bit, starting to feel uncomfortable because of the bond that Jane and Ariela clearly shared. But, then Jane put her arm around Maura again and everything seemed perfect.

From then on, they watched the movie in the same manner that they had watched the others – talking through it. Ariela looked surprised when Maura joined right in, which Jane thought was funny. She forgot that Ariela did not hang out with the doctor enough to know her quirks.

"Maura loves pointing out medical and scientific mistakes in these things. If you really want to see her go you need to watch a zombie movie with her," Jane said with a proud smile as she pulled the medical examiner even closer. Maura only smiled, enjoying the warmth radiating from her best friend, constantly reminding her of how close they were.

"Zombie movie marathon next week!" Ariela declared with a grin, throwing her hands up in the air.

Jane balked. "What? No."

"Too late! I called it!" Ariela grinned even wider. "It's like shotgun for a car. Once I say it, it's done."

Jane groaned and leaned down, hiding in Maura's hair. "Do you see what I have to put up with without you?"

"A zombie movie marathon sounds enjoyable," Maura chimed in, smiling slightly.

"Oh, Maura said it so now you have to do it! Those are the rules. Totally the rules," chortled Ariela.

Jane's brow furrowed and she knew that she would regret asking, but she had to. "What rule?"

The ADA snorted. "The pussy whipped rules, duh!"

Maura gasped. "Language," she actually scolded Ariela, who straightened up immediately. Jane's mouth practically hit the floor.

"What the hell? Maura, how did you do that? I've been trying to have that effect on her for months!" Jane proclaimed, pointing at the reprimanded Ariela.

Maura looked bemused, but she relaxed more. Something in Ariela's reaction to her reproach and seeming to include her in the movie marathon made her understand that Ariela was not a threat to her. In fact, it would seem that Ariela was trying to be her friend and she was not opposed to that idea, especially since Jane already spent so much time with the attorney and Maura wanted to spend more time with Jane.

Their attention went back to the movie. By the end of the movie, things were quiet. Ariela appeared half-asleep and Maura was dead to the world, resting fully against Jane. The lawyer yawned and stumbled as she climbed to her feet.

"You can sleep on the couch," Jane offered.

Ariela shook her head. "I'm fine. I'll make it home."

"At least take my car and just bring it back in the morning," the detective insisted, nodding toward her car keys. She would feel much better knowing her friend was not on public transportation while asleep on her feet.

"All right, thanks. Now, you do me a favor and talk to her." Ariela nodded toward the dozing doctor. "There's a reason she came here, Jane. And, there's a reason she's cuddled against you and not Alistair."

Ariela did not stick around for Jane's response, not that she had a proper one anyway. Jane had plenty of excuses to maintain the status quo. But, she was also scared to do that because it meant losing Maura to Alistair. _Dammit, when the hell did life get this hard?_ Not having an answer to that, Jane eased Maura down onto the sofa and covered her with the blanket Ariela had used. She went to work cleaning up.

Once the apartment was decent, Jane returned to Maura. She considered carrying the doctor to bed, but she knew Maura would want to do her nightly rituals before going to sleep for the night. So, she gently shook Maura awake.

"Hey, Maura, sweetie," Jane whispered in her ear.

Maura groaned as her eyes flickered open and she smiled. "Jane …" she said the name in a dreamy haze that made the detective shudder.

"Come on, bedtime." Jane could only wonder how annoying Ariela would be if she knew Jane and Maura often shared a bed when they hung out at the apartment.

"Already?" Maura yawned, scratching her head. She sounded a little out of it, but she sat up. "I need to take a shower, wash my face, and brush my teeth."

Jane nodded and helped her up. Maura staggered to the bathroom with Jane by her side to keep her upright. Jane went through her nightly rituals while Maura showered.

Jane was in bed by the time Maura was done with everything. The doctor had her pajamas on; one of several sets that she kept at Jane's place. They settled into bed silently and fell asleep as if things were the way they always were.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura woke up and felt secure in ways she could barely fathom. It took a moment for her to realize that she was playing "little spoon" to Jane's "big spoon." A smile spread on her face. It was not the first tine that they had ended up spooning, but it was the first time that she did not try to rationalize or explain away how it made her feel. She just accepted the wonderful, light feeling that fluttered through her. She felt safe from any danger on Earth and as if everything would always be all right, just because Jane was holding her.

_Alistair was right, I suppose. I've never felt this way in the arms of anyone. Not Garret, not Ian, only Jane. It's always been Jane. Emotionally, she's always been it and that's why since meeting her I've only needed men for sex. My relationship with her filled everything else. Amazing_.

Maura reached down to toy with the long, slender fingers softly pressed against her abdomen. Jane quietly groaned and Maura sighed, resting her hands on top of Jane's. The detective pulled her closer in her sleep, making a happy groaning noise.

_Maybe Jane is trying to tell me something subconsciously, has been trying to tell me something for a long time. I hope there's more here. Now that Alistair has opened my eyes, I want there to be so much more to us. But, could that ruin us?_

The question played in Maura's head only briefly. She doubted that acknowledging the truth could destroy what they had. They would continue to do what they did, but without lying to themselves or omitting truths from each other. That had to be healthier than pretending to be something that they were not. She could have spent the whole day listing the pros and cons of realizing her feelings and hoping Jane was the same, but the aforementioned detective began making small noises, a sure sign that she was waking up.

Jane's arms tightened around her again and the brunette nuzzled her. Even that action was not completely foreign between them. They generally just laughed it off, pretending it was normal between friends, like it was normal for friends to share a bed. She dismissed the thought as she felt Jane sit up some, so she turned around to face the detective.

"Morning," Jane's voice was rougher than usual.

"Good morning to you, too," Maura replied, staring into partially opened chocolate eyes. Jane smiled and, not for the first time, Maura had to resist the urge to kiss her.

"I'm glad I've got the day off," the detective mumbled and she snuggled closer as if she was about to go back to sleep.

"I also have the day off. I was hoping we could talk. That was actually my intent last night, before we got wrapped up in the movies."

Jane eyes opened wide. "Is it something bad? Rarely, if ever, is that phrase a good thing."

Maura smiled and gently caressed Jane's arms to help keep her calm. "I hope this isn't something bad. I wish to talk about us and our relationship."

Jane's brow furrowed. "Okay …" she consented hesitantly. "Should I eat something before we continue this?" she asked in a worried tone. There was nothing worse than getting bad news on an empty stomach.

"No, please, don't move. Staying like this will push me to say what I have to say and act as a reminder of why it needs to be said," Maura informed her and Jane nodded. The doctor took a deep breath to steel herself and she clutched Jane's hands a little tighter. "As you know I was out with Alistair last night –"

Jane groaned. "Come on, Maura! I don't wanna talk about what you two did without breakfast!"

The doctor gave Jane a reproaching look. "Jane, you don't even know what I'm going to say. Please, be patient."

The detective let out a dramatic sigh. "All right, fine, but if this story ends with him being bad in bed and that's why you came over last night, I'm not gonna be happy."

Maura's brow furrowed cutely. "I have no idea how Alistair is in bed. I've never slept with him."

Jane's mouth dropped open. "You never slept with him? Not even for all of the health benefits?"

Maura had to laugh. "No, I never slept with him, not even for the health benefits. I never had the urge, which should've been a huge red flag that I shouldn't be dating him. Last night, he had his fill and was tired of waiting, I suppose, and broke up with me."

Jane's eyes went wide and her jaw tensed. "What! That bastard doesn't know what a gem he's thrown away!"

"Jane, calm down. You don't need to be upset over this. He broke up with me for my benefit and we've decided to stay friends, which is really all we were in the first place. Lately, I hadn't even kissed him beyond a friendly peck. It's a wonder he stayed with me for so long."

"I'll weep tears of blood into my pillow later for the guy and make a huge animal sacrifice in his honor," Jane remarked in a deadpan tone.

The doctor could not help smiling. "Do you want to know why he broke up with me?"

"Because he's an idiot."

"Your outrage on my behalf is sweet, but no. He broke up with me because he figured out something I'd been hiding from myself, practically lying to myself about. I'm already in a relationship with someone. Someone who gives me something no man has ever given me, someone I love so dearly and desperately that just thought of losing her scares me more than anything in the world, including Hoyt and Dennis." Maura was surprised that she looked Jane in the eye the whole time.

Jane did not say anything for a very long five seconds. Maura could not help wondering if she was wrong to put everything out there like that. It was entirely possible that Jane perceived their relationship in a completely different light.

"Maura," Jane's voice shook.

"You don't have to respond, Jane. I needed to tell you while I had the courage. I hope it doesn't change us."

"No, Maura, I do hope it changes us. Because … well, because I feel the same way. Ariela has been bugging the crap out of me over it. She wanted me to tell you, but I was scared that it'd drive you away faster. I was already losing you to Alistair. I didn't want to lose you any faster," Jane explained with quiet desperation in her voice.

Maura shook her head and reached up to caress Jane's cheek. "You'd never lose me, Jane. You'd been making it your business to take care of me after what happened with Dennis and I felt like I was being a burden to you, which is why I began dating Alistair. I wanted you to see that I was back to normal and you didn't have to worry about me anymore. But, I'm not back to normal. I am forever changed because Alistair has opened my eyes to my affections for you."

"Then we're both changed. I didn't like you dating Alistair, but you seemed happy, so I tried to tolerate it, but I didn't like it. I didn't like it." Jane was not sure why she repeated herself, but she felt like it was necessary, as if she was purging herself of something foul.

"All I did on dates was talk about you. Jane, you give me everything I need, want, and more. You always have, which is why I don't date anymore. My relationship with you has everything a healthy relationship, except a sexual component."

Jane visibly gulped. "You want us to have sex?"

"Well, if you're ever comfortable with the idea." The medical examiner was sure Jane would have many issues to work out before they could proceed, but things were going better than she hoped.

Jane chuckled. "I am comfortable with the idea, very comfortable. I just want to be sure how you feel and you actually surprised me there. This was something that only existed in my head until a couple of minutes ago. Maura, I've known for a long time that you were it for me. The very rare times I date, and you know how rare that is, I'm just reminded that you're the one I want. No man has ever made me feel the way you do. No one has ever let me feel so comfortable being me while also trying to make me better. You're special, Doctor Maura Isles."

A hot blush invaded Maura's creamy cheeks, which actually made the detective feel really good about herself. She doubted that any date that Maura had made her blush. Jane smiled and pulled Maura closer, inhaling sharply, contently. Maura cuddled closer, burying her head in Jane's neck. This felt right, as it always had, just wanting for them to acknowledge it.

"Jane, shall we …" Maura was not sure how to formally request what she wanted, what they wanted.

"Why, Maura Isles, are you trying to ask me out on a date?" the detective teased, grinning as she spoke.

The blush burned brighter. "I was."

"Well, stop. We long ago established I would be the guy, so it's up to me to ask you out. So, Doctor Isles, get dressed. I'm taking you out to breakfast," Jane proclaimed.

"That's not asking."

Jane laughed and shrugged. "I guess you don't want breakfast then."

"Jane."

"I'm gonna go have some Lucky Charms," the brunette said, sitting up, taking Maura with her.

The blond clutched Jane tightly. "Don't you dare. You are taking me out to breakfast."

"So bossy." Jane pretended to sigh as if she was exhausted. "Fine, I'll take you to breakfast."

Maura grinned. "Our first official date."

"Official?" Jane echoed. "I guess everything before now was like dating, but we were friends." she nodded, as if she just needed to make sense of it herself.

"But, we are official now, yes?"

Jane grinned and there was a devilish sparkle in her eyes. "Can we seal it with a kiss?"

Maura smiled and leaned up just enough to kiss Jane's cheek. "You'll get a proper one at the end of the date, provided you're on your best behavior. Now, let's go."

Jane laughed again. "You are so bossy. Don't think you can boss me around because you're my girlfriend now." He heart thumped as she realized that Maura Isles was actually her girlfriend. _How freaking sweet is that?!_

Maura smiled impishly. "Of course not. I've always bossed you around. Now, come on." She patted Jane on the thigh and rose from bed. She loathed leaving Jane's warm, strong embrace, but it was a necessary evil. They had to eat, after all. It just gave her something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Jane actually whined as Maura pulled away, pouting like a petulant child. Maura resisted the urge to kiss the expression away. She went to get ready as best she could in Jane's apartment and hoped that Jane took the idea of breakfast being a date seriously.

-8-8-8-8-

Maura was surprised by some of the clothing and shoes that she had left at the detective's apartment. She was able to look her absolute best for what she felt like was the most important date of her life. She thought it somewhat strange that she was not nervous, but she was very eager. _I want Jane. And now I have her. I want to show her how wonderful we can be together_.

Once Maura was certain that she looked fabulous, she went into the living room to see how Jane was doing. The lanky brunette had her back to Maura, pacing in the living room. Jane was wearing a pants suit, but Maura recognized it as one of her best ones. Jane was obviously trying, especially since she had put on shoes instead of her usual boots.

"Jane."

The taller woman turned around at the sound of her name. Brown eyes went wide and Jane gasped. "Maura … you look … beautiful. I mean, you always look beautiful, but now you look this way for me." She could not believe how nervous she felt, like a kid before the prom. She took a deep breath to help settle herself down, but it barely did anything.

Maura smiled. "Speak for yourself. You actually ironed your shirt for me."

Jane shrugged, chuckling slightly. "I had to pass the time somehow. But, the wait was worth it." She stepped closer to Maura, who put out her hand. Jane wiped her palms on her pants legs. "Sorry, I'm nervous."

"Don't be. We've done this at least a hundred times before. You have nothing to prove to me, Jane. I know you already and you know me. We're just going to breakfast."

"On an official date that I don't want to screw up," Jane pointed out.

"Well, just think of all of the extremely successful unofficial dates we've had. This is just another one of those."

Jane nodded, but she seemed to be in a daze. Maura took her by the hand pulled her away. Jane woke up from her stupor in time to declare that she was driving. The snap to normal brought a smile to Maura's face.

Breakfast itself was a normal affair, except when Jane showed a romantic side. The detective had spotted a flower shop across the street and excused herself after they ordered, claiming that she needed to go to the bathroom. Instead, she returned with a small bouquet of red, yellow, and white roses. Maura almost cried when Jane presented them to her.

"They're so beautiful. You didn't have to."

"I know I didn't, but a beautiful woman deserves beautiful flowers, especially on her first date," Jane explained with a small smile.

Maura blushed again and Jane knew that she had just gained quite a few points, not that she was keeping score or anything. "I think I'll have to get used to you having a romantic side," the doctor smiled and her eyes sparkled.

Jane chuckled. "That makes two of us. Dating guys doesn't usually let me show this side of myself and, while I've been attracted to women before, I've never dated one to find out that I could be romantic. So, forgive me if I mess up a few times."

"It's oddly flattering to be your first woman. And, Jane, I think our history has proven, I always forgive you." Jane only nodded.

-8-8-8-8-

The day ended as many of them often did – at Maura's house. Jane stepped inside, but did not proceed any farther than the door. Maura stepped out of her shoes and began moving about the place like normal, incorrectly assuming that Jane was going to sofa.

"Do you want a beer or something?" Maura asked.

"No, I think I'm going to head home. My feet are killing me," Jane replied with a light laugh. She was honest about her feet, which was one of the reasons she rarely wore her shoes. Besides, she wanted to do things right with Maura.

The distance of Jane's voice made Maura turn around. She saw Jane was still by the door and understood that Jane was trying to bring a proper end to their date, which had lasted well past breakfast and even dinner. She could not help but pout as she walked over to Jane.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? You don't have to wear the heels in the house," Maura pointed out.

"I know, but it's our first official date. It's gotta end sometime. Besides, I do believe somebody here owes somebody else a kiss," Jane remarked with one of her smug smirks.

"Oh?" An amused smile played on Maura's lips.

"Plus, we're not official until the kiss."

"Well, I do want us to finally end the ambiguity between us and make things official."

"Then what are you waiting for, woman?" Jane demanded with a laugh.

Maura decided to stop teasing Jane because she wanted to kiss Jane as badly as Jane wanted to be kissed. She stood before Jane and it was as if the world fell away. They leaned in and their lips touched, shyly at first.

It was as if their lips floated across each other, gently, reassuringly caressing each other. The soft feel sent waves of pleasure through Maura, along with oddly tender emotions that Maura could not begin to identify. Her stomach fluttered and she felt like she was slowly melting. Her knees trembled and she had to grab onto Jane to stay on her feet.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, clinging to the doctor. She truly felt like Maura was anchoring her to the world. She could not believe a simple kiss made her feel like she was going to float away and she would not care as long as Maura kept kissing her. Her head buzzed and she was starting to think that she was crazy for not staying.

Maura was about to deepen the kiss, but Jane pulled back. A disappointed mew echoed off of the walls, but neither was sure who it escaped. Jane was practically panting and she had to shake her head slightly to clear her thoughts, remind herself that she was trying to do things the right way.

"Jane," Maura whimpered.

"Wow," Jane breathed. "It was … I dunno. Amazing doesn't do it justice. Incredible doesn't either. I've never had a kiss like that."

"That makes two of us. Why did you pull back?"

"Because if we kept going, I won't be able to leave and this might end up going too fast. I like slow, Maura, and I want to make sure we do this perfectly because I don't want anything to mess this up. You mean the world to me and I want you to know that in everything I do."

The doctor nodded and smiled. "I understand, Jane. You mean the world to me, too. I want to be comfortable and I want everything to go smoothly. We'll go as slowly as you need."

Jane smiled and they exchanged one more kiss before Jane staggered out of the house. Maura watched Jane go to her car, walking on cloud nine. Maura could relate. She felt like she had just gotten the best news of her life. They were official.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end.


	10. Lovers and Friends

I don't own these characters. TNT does, probably anyway. I do own Ariela and Alistair, though.

Epilogue: Lovers and friends

"Hey, Ma, what's this thing at Maura's place tomorrow? Do I have to bring something?" Frankie asked as he walked into the Division One café. Ariela was already there, sitting at the counter and eating lunch.

"I don't know," Angela replied, shrugging.

Ariela scoffed. "Don't make me have to call bullshit, Angela. Frankie, _tu madre_ …" She sucked her teeth. "Your mother is teasing."

"I know she is because she's practically a spy. So, why's Maura having this thing? Is it a her and Jane thing or is just doing this because we haven't all hung out in a while? What's going on and do I need to bring anything?" Frankie pressed.

"She didn't say bring anything," Ariela pointed out.

"She's right and you know Maura gets upset if you do bring something after she goes out her way to tell you not to. Just make sure you show up. I think this is really a Jane and Maura thing, but they didn't want to say that," Angela answered.

"Why are they being all secretive about it? It's not like we're going to be upset. In fact, I'm more upset that they're not telling us," Frankie huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm sure they have their reasons. Besides, it's not like they're not really telling us. Jane is a lot more touchy with Maura in the open now," Ariela pointed out.

"Jane kind of lives at Maura's house, too … which isn't too different from how they used to be. Actually, I think we could have considered them in a relationship a long time ago," Angela realized with a chuckle.

Frankie only nodded while Ariela stayed silent because that was before her time. Frankie decided to get back to work since he had been assured that he did not have to bring anything. He also felt a bit better with Ariela pointing out that Jane and Maura had not really _not_ told them anything. They had not denied anything and no asked them about things, so it was not really _not_ saying thing. He just hoped that they said something soon just to put it all out there, so everyone, as in those closest to them, could be openly happy for them.

-8-8-8-8-

Jane was cuddled on the sofa with Maura in her arms. Maura was squirming, trying to get up, but the stronger detective held her tightly. After a while, the doctor settled against Jane, which got a smile out of the brunette. Jane caressed Maura's bare arms and the medical examiner purred from the attention.

Jane sighed and inhaled Maura's calming scent. She kissed Maura's neck and nuzzled the area. The doctor smiled and moved her hand to touch Jane's powerful forearm. The taller woman kissed Maura's neck again and settled them both against the back of the couch.

"Eventually, you'll have to let me up, darling," Maura pointed out in a low voice. She did not sound in favor of that idea, but it was certainly true.

"Nope, don't wanna." Jane placed gentle, wet kisses to Maura's neck.

"You have to. I have to check on the food. We can't have everyone showing up and not have dinner ready."

"We don't have to let anyone in. We'll go in the back and pretend not to be here."

Maura looked into Jane's eyes. "You don't want to tell everyone we're dating?" They were having a family gathering, along with Frost, Korsak, and Ariela, to tell everyone that they were dating, even though everyone already suspected.

"They already know, so we don't need to." She had not felt like telling anyone when they started dating because she thought that might somehow jinx it. Of course, Maura thought that was ridiculous, but Jane was insistent. She knew that the second she said it out loud to people, then the meddling would begin and she would get upset with everyone interfering. She did not want o chance her temper getting the better of her, especially since she had the bad habit of taking things out on Maura.

"Do they know we've officially been together for almost three months or that you plan to move in?" Maura pointed out.

Jane groaned. "Fine, we'll have the stupid dinner, but you have to kick everyone out."

The honey-blond laughed because they both knew that was not going to happen. Jane let the doctor up and Maura finished preparing dinner. Jane hoped that the dinner went well and she did not have to put up with a bunch of advice that she did not need from anyone. She figured that she had proven she knew what she was doing by having a smooth three months with Maura and being allowed to move in.

The Rizzoli clan was the first to arrive. Angela had a cake in her hand and Tommy had a bottle of wine. Jane made a face at Maura as Tommy handed over the wine, hoping that Maura understood that they should not use Tommy's wine with dinner … or ever really.

"I told you that you didn't have to bring anything," Maura complained with a kind smile and sparkle in her eyes as she took the cake from Angela.

Angela scoffed. "You know I can't show up to a meal without having prepared something."

That point could not be argued. Angela also moved around the kitchen, probably trying to keep busy, but Maura had everything in hand. Angela even tried to set the table, but Jane had handled that already. Jane banished her mother to the living room when Angela tried to "correct" her settings.

"Go, sit down and watch TV with Tommy and Frankie, Ma," Jane ordered, pointing to her two brothers, who were arguing over the remote like they were ten again. Angel pouted, but did so and snatched the remote up. The Rizzoli brothers groaned.

Frost came with Ariela and Korsak in tow. Frost also showed up with wine while Ariela had beer. Now that everyone was there, the group sat down for dinner at Maura's table, conversing about pretty much everything. Jane and Maura had long decided that their announcement would wait until dinner was done. Jane could hardly contain herself, though, openly holding Maura's hand through the meal and whispered in her ear every now and then.

"_Dios_, Jane, do you need the rest of us to leave, so you can just have your way with Maura on the table?" Ariela said, earning laughs and coughs from the unfortunate souls that were drinking.

Jane growled. "Dammit, Ariela, do you have spoil every moment of my life?"

"Jane, be nice," Angela scolded her eldest. She had taken to sticking up for Ariela when Jane got on the ADA's case.

"What about her?" Jane demanded, pointing to the smiling attorney. Jane suspected her mother just liked seeing Ariela annoy her.

"It's all right. As blunt as Ariela has a tendency to be, she has somewhat opened the floor as to why Jane and I asked you here," Maura said.

Jane gave Maura a look. "We agreed, after dinner."

"But, she has left us with a very good opportunity to discuss the matter," Maura argued.

"You owe Jane a toaster oven," Ariela remarked, which got her kicked in the shin by Jane. The detective smiled when the lawyer grimaced, leaning down to rub her sore shin.

"Look, we know you all probably already figured it out, but we wanted to tell you because it's getting pretty serious. I'm going to move in with Maura," Jane declared with small, but extremely happy smile.

"Congratulations, partner!" Frost leaned over to shake Jane's hand. He glanced at Maura and smiled, one his happy, elfish smiles that showed he was truly pleased. "You couldn't do better, Jane."

"Believe me, I know," Jane laughed and took all the congratulations from everyone.

No one was surprised by the announcement that Maura and Jane were a couple or that Jane was going to move in with Maura. Jane had always practically lived at Maura's house anyway. Since they had been dating, Jane rarely went home. In fact, Jo Friday had been moved in less than a month after Jane and Maura had become official. All of the dog's belongings were there. Hell, half of Jane's belongings were there, too.

"I thought you lived here already," Frankie remarked with a teasing smile.

"How would you know?" Jane snorted. She had not seen much of her brother lately because she had been focusing her energy on Maura and doing right by the medical examiner.

"Ma is always talking about how you're here. Hell, she practically volunteered your apartment for Tommy to live in," Frankie stated.

"Ma!" Jane barked.

"What? You're not using it," Angela pointed out.

"Still, it's my apartment. Don't try to give my apartment away," Jane huffed in her usual manner. She wished that her mother did not live in Maura's guesthouse, especially since she was moving in, but she knew that was one of the reasons why they really did not have to tell anybody. Her mother had been spending rumors about their relationship for over two months now.

"I thought Jane would blow it with you. Glad to see you didn't let her," Ariela said to Maura.

Maura laughed. "I won't let her."

"I can see who wears the pants in this relationship," the attorney joked.

"Like hell. I don't even think Maura owns pants," Jane commented, earning a couple of chuckles from the corny remark.

The night was full of smiles and laughter. There was a moment of seriousness in the kitchen between Maura and Frankie, though. Maura had expected as much as Frankie was the more responsible brother and the least critical of Jane as far as the Rizzoli clan went.

"Hey, Maura, can we talk for a second?" Frankie requested.

"Of course," Maura answered as she loaded the dishwasher.

"Look, it's agreed that Jane is lucky to have you, but you need to know you're lucky to have her. And we both know that even though she acts like bullets can bounce off her chest under that hard shell is a soft gooey center, especially when it comes to you. She'd do anything for you, all you have to do is ask, like when you asked her to run that marathon. She'd do anything for you, remember that. Don't break her heart, Maura. Take care of her and cherish her," Frankie ordered with a hard look in his eyes.

For a moment, all the doctor could do was stare as she took in his words and processed the underlying meaning as well as the stiff body language. She offered him a soft smile and did her best not to cry. She hugged him before responding and he thankfully returned the desperate embrace.

"Frankie, I will. Thank you for standing up for Jane because you're right about all of that and I'll do my best to remember it. I'll do everything in my power to take care of Jane. She means the world to me and I especially came to understand that after we had some time apart. I'll do my best to keep her safe and happy. I'll do anything for her in return. I don't want her to ever doubt how I feel about her," Maura assured him.

Frankie smiled and patted her on the back before they broke apart. "I know you'll be good to her, Maura. I just needed to say that."

She smiled back and sniffled a bit, tears still threatening to come. "I'm happy you're looking out for her."

The officer did not say anything and went to rejoin everyone else in the living room. Maura had to take a deep breath to make sure she did not cry and then finished loading in the dishes before she joined them, too. Korsak moved from the sofa to give Maura space by Jane, which she was certain he would have done even before she and Jane were dating. _This feeling was always here and in some ways we all acknowledged it, but we never truly understood it. Maybe it did take fresh eyes to see what was always there_.

Maura dismissed those thoughts as Jane put her arm around Maura. The doctor silently reveled in how right and familiar it felt. She cuddled into Jane, which was also something that she might have done with Jane before they started dating, even with people around. She then turned her attention to the game they were about to play. She had never heard of Taboo before, but by the end of the night thought it might have to be banned to prevent fistfights and shootouts at the house, which was a shame because she thought it was fun and stimulating game. Too simulating for the Rizzoli siblings.

"Really, Tommy? Really? I say 'secretary of state' and you don't know who that is? You're 32 for fuck's sake!" Jane huffed, throwing her arms up in disbelief.

"I don't keep up with politics!" Tommy argued, also throwing his arms up.

"And you let us all know that saying Bush! Are you fucking kidding me? Bush? You know what, get the hell out of our house and don't come back until you read a newspaper!" She pointed to the door.

Maura was not sure if the fight was serious or not, as she still had some trouble gauging Jane and Tommy's relationship. It looked like Jane might actually escort Tommy out of the door, but she was not moving to do, so maybe things were not serious. She did smile at the fact that Jane referred to the house as "our." She was looking forward to really sharing her home with Jane.

Surprisingly, there was no bloodshed during the game, but the Rizzoli siblings had to be separated a number of times. Angela had to scold the siblings, too. Ariela and Frost were almost as bad as the siblings with each other and with Jane and Frankie. Maura doubted she had ever heard someone curse so much in "Spanglish," as Detective Frost had coined it.

Over time Maura had come to better understand Jane's relationship with the ADA and she actually thought it was cute. Ariela was not a threat her. Ariela was not interested in Jane beyond having something that resembled family. Ariela had left her family on the opposite end of the country and Jane helped her find people to be close with to ease her pain. Jane had such a big heart and Maura knew Jane cared about Ariela despite all of her protests.

"Oh, hey, I wanted to know, even though this is early and the season hasn't started, but anybody want to go to some Celtic games with me? I can't go to a game by myself," Ariela said when the game hit a pause because everybody needed to calm down.

"We'll see a few games with you, but after that you need to bounce back from the cheating wench that broke your heart and start dating again," Jane declared.

"I can help you get a date," Angela volunteered.

"No, Ma!" all three Rizzoli children objected.

There were laughs, more fighting over the game. The game ended without a clear winner after Tommy tore the score up before they tallied the latest round and actually ate the paper to spite Frankie. At that point, Jane began people the door. A smile settled on Jane's face as she practically slammed the door. Maura decided not to reprimand her for it.

"So, now what?" Jane asked with mischief in her voice as her eyes held a devilish sparkle.

"I have to clean up. You know I could never go to bed with the living room looking like this," Maura pointed out.

The detective groaned and moved to clean up. She worked quickly, which did not surprise Maura. Jane was not as messy as people always assumed she was. She just could stand to let a mess sit for a night, but Maura could not do even that. As soon as they were done, Jane wrapped her arms around Maura from behind and nuzzled her neck.

"Now, how about we both go get clean and then make a mess in your bed?" Jane suggested in a whisper before placing a gentle kiss behind Maura's ear.

The doctor shuddered and whimpered. "Our bed," she managed to say.

"No, I think 'our' bed is more the guest bed." She nipped Maura's earlobe and earned a cute yelp.

"You're right." Maura's bed had seen many lovers over the years, but her guest bed was only familiar with her and Jane. "Let's sleep there tonight. Tomorrow, we can arrange for your bed to brought here."

Jane's bed was practically new and had only known she and Jane in its short life. Besides, it would give Jane more of a claim to the house considering she would only be bringing small items over in the move. She did not need any of her furniture really or kitchen supplies or anything, so Maura was happy to give Jane a chance to bring whatever she could into the house to make it seem more like theirs.

"I like the way you think, Doctor Isles!" Jane declared with some humor in her voice. "Now, let's go take a shower." That suggestion earned a grin from the good doctor.

-8-8-8-8-

"Oh, Jane!" Maura called from the bathroom across the hall. Jane was already in bed because she did not have a million and one nightly rituals – yet. Maura had already started getting on her case about a skin care routine. She would try her best to hold out for another week before lotions and creams were introduced to her body on a daily basis.

_Maybe if I can get Maura to apply the lotion, it won't be so bad_. "Yeah, Maura?" Jane answered, twisting on her side to face the door with the hope of appearing as sexy as she could in a black tank-top. Of course, she did not plan to be wearing the tank-top for long.

"I meant to tell you on Friday, I'm going to the Phantom of the Opera," Maura said.

Jane groaned. "We just went a month ago. To prove my love, I even stayed awake for the whole thing and didn't go hide in the bathroom." She had very nearly faked cramps to get out of it, but one of the horrible things about dating a woman, a doctor at that, was that Maura would subtly call her on bullshit menstrual things without fear.

"No, I'm going with Alistair. He hasn't seen it and really wants to," Maura informed her.

Jane growled and almost bit her tongue off to prevent herself from asking why he had to take her girlfriend. She knew he and Maura remained friends after he claimed to have gotten over Maura and he was the one that pushed Maura into acknowledging her emotions for Jane, but Jane still did not like the guy much. She tolerated him because he was Maura's friend and while she did not entirely trust him, she trusted Maura.

She had met him on a couple of occasions and he did not seem horrible. He was cordial to her, but not very friendly. He seemed to tolerate her as much as she did him and she guessed it was because she got the girl. Of course, it was partially thanks to him that she did get the girl, so she would try her best around him if necessary, but he did not seem to like being around her much. Maura thought it was because she had talked about Jane so much when she was dating Alistair that she sort of left him feeling inadequate compared to Jane and he needed time to get over that.

"I'll find someway to keep busy then," Jane replied. She could always do something with Ariela and Frost. They were good for short notice.

Maura came to the door and smiled at her lover. "Thank you."

Jane barely heard the words, eyes focused on the silk pink teddy that barely covered Maura. She put her hands out for Maura, who practically fell on her – with her mouth. Jane moaned into the passionate kiss as her arms wrapped around Maura's waist, pulling the doctor closer to her. One hand slipped under the pink covering and caressed a soft, creamy thigh.

"You feel so good, Maura. You're perfect. Why'd it take us so long to admit?" Jane wondered aloud as her hands wandered wonderful flesh.

Maura smiled and her eyes sparkled. Jane could actually see love in her eyes and she realized if was always there, even when then did not know the full extent of it. Jane hoped her eyes reflected the same emotion.

"Don't think about the past like that, Jane. Think about the future and how we have the rest of our lives to enjoy this,"

Jane smiled. "One of the reasons I love you is because you're so smart and I do love you, Maura."

"I know. I love you, too, Jane." The declaration was sealed with a kiss, which was followed by many more.

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

I hope you guys enjoyed my little Rizzles tale. I'm returning to my padded cell now. Take care everybody.


End file.
